


Osmosis

by Zanya



Series: Osmosis [4]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Developing Relationship, Gunshot Wounds, Language, M/M, Medical Procedures, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Oral Sex, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-03 23:30:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 131,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1074333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zanya/pseuds/Zanya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a chance meeting in Creta, Ed makes a proposal to Roy that sets off a chain of events and encounters in which Ed decides to finally put a plan in motion that has invaded his thoughts for the past few years.<br/> </p>
<p>Osmosis</p>
<p>2. A gradual, often unconscious process of assimilation or absorption.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ed looked down from his perch on top of the roof. The Capital City in Creta had plenty of tall buildings from where he could keep watch. His targets had been acquired and within his sight. He pulled his coat closer to his body to block out a chilly wind that blew across his face, but his line of vision remained clear enough. 

When he leaned forward his boots crunched on the some of the gravel that had collected on the rooftop from last night’s rain. The air still had a damp feel to it, which made his arm and leg ache. Even after getting his body back, Ed’s limbs still hurt from where he used to have automail, especially around where the ports used to connect from bits of metal that had still been left in. 

Pulling out a smoke bomb, his eyes roamed over the small group of thugs, trying to figure out where exactly he should throw it. The three men loitered around, all of them wearing black coats and pants. From what he could tell their coats looked bulkier than normal, which meant they were either hiding something underneath or they had put on extra protection in case they got shot. One of the men, the one with short blond hair, seemed to be directing the others. 

That’s where he would need to throw the smoke bomb. Ed quickly checked underneath his pant leg to make sure the knife he carried was still secure. If the men below were able to catch him, he needed to be able to defend himself. He waited a few more seconds before reaching up, aiming the bomb. Then he put his arm down and paused for a moment, watching the men wait for their orders. A forth man with bright red hair appeared and talked to them. From where Ed perched, he couldn’t hear their conversation.

But Ed knew what they were waiting for and what they were talking about. It had taken him a couple weeks after overhearing the whispers about a plan to assassinate General Mustang to figure out the when and where. Even though at first getting all the information had proved far more difficult than he imagined, once he had it, it didn’t take much time to come up with a counter measure. Pulling out the information from his coat pocket, Ed glanced at it again. 

Now all he had to do was give them the proper push forward and it should be enough of a distraction. Folding the piece of paper he held in his hands, he jumped down to where the roof curved lower so that he’d be closer. From where he stood now, he had a clearer view of them. 

He felt certain the signal would be small or at the very least something most people wouldn’t give much thought about, otherwise, they’d have the infamous Flame Alchemist to deal with. Risking a fiery counter attack seemed too dumb, especially when they had went through all the trouble of putting the plan together in the first place. No, this was going to be covert and quick. Or at least it would have been had Ed not decided to take the problem into his own hands and do something about it. 

There had never been a doubt in his mind in one way or another he’d help push Mustang to the top, and why shouldn’t he? Roy had the help of his team, but the more support he had, the better his chances of becoming Fuhrer sooner than later. Even if he was doing it secretively, at least he would be doing something useful.

His arm swung down, letting the bomb fly out of his hand. It landed where he had wanted it to. The group of men yelled and jumped back, looking around for where it had come from. Once the smoke cleared, Ed stood on the lip of the roof and waved at them before jumping down to a lower roof that overhung about ten feet off the ground. He took off, not bothering to look back and make sure the men were following him. He could hear their footfalls closing in. Now all he had to do was lead them away from where the negotiations between Creta and Amestris were taking place. 

Ed headed towards town, near a small shopping district that had a few small cafes and some local shops. At this time of day, there wouldn’t be a lot of people there and Creta police usually kept a watchful eye to keep the number of robberies down. He moved quickly. Fortunately the roof tops in the city were so close together that they almost touched. Still making the jumps required agility and even though Ed kept himself in top shape, he could feel his legs start to tire out. 

“Just a bit further,” Ed whispered to himself as the small shopping area drew closer. He had to keep drawing them away no matter what. 

 

~*~

Roy sat at the small table in the farthest café from the delegations in Creta. He had picked it because when all the talking and half-hearted compliments had ended, he couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there and find the first place that served coffee, preferably strong, and had peaceful, quiet atmosphere. The Inn his team had stayed at wasn’t the worst, but it certainly wasn’t the best either, and it didn’t serve decent coffee. 

His bed had been too flat and thin too. And the pillows were pretty much the same. So his morning had started off with him waking up to a few nasty kinks in his back along with no coffee since the small restaurant at the Inn had been closed due to problems with their oven not working. The peace discussion with Creta officials had started soon after, leaving him no time to properly wake up. Still he had pushed through and did a damn good job of it because that’s what he did. What he had to do. 

Now, he sat in the small open area that was outside the café. His recent promotion to General had earned him a top spot to take over negotiations in the west, especially after how well his work in Ishval and trades with Xing had turned out. Fuhrer Grumman was getting older and talks of his retirement had begun spreading around, and while Roy knew Grumman supported his bid, he couldn’t afford to have something go wrong. Not when he was so close to his goal. 

Until he actually made it, there would always be a chance he could fail. The people of Amestris seemed to like him well enough, especially after all the work he and his team did in reviving Ishval and making solid trade agreements with Xing. Emperor Ling Yao had been nothing more than accommodating whenever they visited. That had made the trade agreements insanely easy to push through. While Creta still had its own problems with all of its States getting along, from what Roy had gathered, it was getting better and now they wanted to include Amestris on its very short list of allies. 

Roy picked up his cup of coffee and enjoyed the brief reprieve he had. Hawkeye had gone off to find a map so that they could explore more of the city, leaving Roy with a few moments by himself. It felt odd to be here, in Creta, running negotiations after they had so many years of animosity with Amestris. Still, the west was the only place left besides Drachma where he hadn’t managed to dig his political claws into. At least in regards to the countries that bordered Amestris. Soon, he hoped that would change, and he’d be one step closer. 

Something then caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. When Roy first saw a flash of black and red speed by on the roof, it took him a moment to realize the person was being chased by a group of men. It took him another second to realize that it was Ed. It didn’t come as a surprise since last he had heard, Ed still had ongoing research in the west and always somehow managed to find trouble, but still Roy didn’t expect to run into him in Creta. 

Standing up, Roy watched the scene play out over the roof tops. Ed went running in the opposite direction with a trail of men following closely behind. When Roy turned around, he noticed the police he had spotted when he first arrived at the café were nowhere to be found. Hawkeye chose that moment to appear around the corner, map in hand. He supposed her timing could have been worse. At least he’d get to tell her he planned on taking off. 

Laying a tip down on the table, Roy hurried towards Hawkeye, who seemed surprised to see him ready to go. When he stopped she looked him over and then raised her eyebrows while standing attention. 

“Sir, is there a problem?” she asked, her feet planted squarely together while she saluted. 

“I got to go,” Roy answered while walking past her. He turned around one last time to make sure Hawkeye heard him. “If I’m not back by this evening, get the team and come look for me.”

Riza frowned, eyeing him warily. “Sir, do you really think it’s a good idea to—”

“I’m certain I saw Ed run by a bit ago, and it looked like he was in some sort of trouble. I’ll be fine on my own. Go back to the Hotel.” Roy took off, not giving her any time to respond and hoping he didn’t lose Ed or the men following him. 

Rounding the corner, he spotted a piece of red cloth that had caught on the edge of a sewer grate. The top of it sat haphazardly against the sidewalk. Ed must have sent down there so he ran over to get a closer look. Leaning down, Roy tried to get an idea of how big of a drop it would be if he jumped down. It looked like he would have to jump about six feet, nothing that would seriously injure him. The grate was larger than what they usually had in Amestris, and he could easily slip through it. 

He pulled the grate aside, and it came away easily enough. The top hadn’t been properly put back, which was fortunate for him. Roy slid inside and allowed himself to drop. When he landed on the ground, his legs buckled for moment before he got his bearings and stood upright. 

The underground tunnels stunk like sewage and decay. Mold covered the stone walls and water dripped along cracks that were smattered everywhere. Roy quickly moved along close to the wall, making sure not to touch it while carefully listening for any signs of Ed and men chasing him. He really didn’t think they could have gotten far considering he felt he had kept up with them okay, but Ed had been quick. Too quick, which only reminded Roy of their age gap. 

Sure, they all had a good head start on him; even more so since he had to make sure Hawkeye wouldn’t follow him, but still any time anyone managed to outrun him, it felt like he was one step closer to old age. Another nail in the coffin. Another year and he still had yet to make it to the top. No wonder the Lieutenant Colonel had looked at him like was crazy for taking off. 

Roy seriously considered heading back when he heard shouting, definitely Ed yelling and some other voices he didn’t recognize. Someone fired off a few rounds, startling him. Taking a left, Roy moved quickly towards the sound of gunshots. 

The sewage system seemed too big for the city, and Roy felt like he was running forever. At first he even worried that maybe he had gone too far. What if something bad had happened to Ed and by the time he got there, it’d be too late. Ever since Hughes had died, that had become something unbearably unacceptable to him. So he slowed down until he came to a stop and listened. 

A few minutes had passed, and when Roy turned around to head back and check out any turns he may have missed, he heard Ed yell. So he pushed ahead and kept going. Now that he knew he was going in the right direction, he didn’t slow down. Soon he reached a part of the concrete ground that diverged in two directions. Veering left, Roy ran down the dark path. At the end there was a old wooden door. 

After a few swift kicks, the door flew open. When he got inside the room, Roy saw Ed sitting in a corner with blood pooling around him. From where he stood, it was hard to tell where the shot originated from. He had heard the gun shot and saw blood, though he wasn’t sure exactly where Ed had been hit. All he knew was that Ed was the only one in the room bleeding that much. 

One of the men lay on ground, holding his leg against his chest. His arm hung limply to his side, and his lips were split open. Three other men stood scattered about on Roy’s left, all of them with guns that were pointed directly at Ed. Over the commotion, it didn’t seem like he was noticed yet even though his entrance had been anything but quiet. He had to think quickly or else it would be too late. 

Ed had a feral look on his face and looked poised to strike. Roy brought his hand up and snapped. Everything happened so quickly after that. The fire provided him with some cover and an adequate distraction so that he could reach Ed. He dashed to his right, away from the heat and then made a sharp left. 

Sliding across the floor, he turned his body so that he faced the remaining men. Fire moved about the room, temporarily blocking his view, and Roy barely made it without slipping past, He came to a stop and pushed Ed behind him. 

They were surrounded by too many people, which didn’t give him much time to come up with a plan. Pure instinct had been responsible for snapping his fingers and clearing a way for him to get in front of Ed before any of the men could start firing. A loud shout followed by screaming began. Ignoring the men’s terrified shrieks, he clapped his hands together threw them onto the ground, erecting a concrete dome around them. 

“We should be fine in here for awhile.” Roy moved to the side to give Ed some space and leaned against the wall. “Are you okay?”

Ed had a mildly surprised look on his face before it turned cloudy. “Yeah, but what the hell are you doing here?”

“I saw you run by across the roof and decided to follow.” Roy took a couple deep breaths and let them out slowly as he attempted to catch his breath. “It didn’t look to promising for you.” 

“You always follow people when you see them?” Ed crabbily asked. The pain in his leg made it difficult for him to act friendly. 

Roy ground his teeth together and tried really hard to resist the urge to reach over and choke the ungrateful bastard. “No, but you had a group of men chasing after you so I thought that maybe you had gotten yourself into some trouble.”

Ed sighed and closed his eyes. It would figure Roy would follow him. Out of all the times they could have accidentally ran into each other while in Creta, it had to be now. The Amestrian army wasn’t due to leave for another week so there would have been plenty of time to casually drop by and say hello, after all it had been awhile since they had seen each other. 

One thing Ed had learned about himself since he and Al got their bodies back was that he had the worst habit of not keeping in touch. He always meant to, but if it weren’t for Al, it would have been a lot worse. The last time they were in East City had been a couple years ago, and Ed had even grown another inch. Roy had also been busy, as usual with a meeting and then a fundraiser. Al had also brought back some information that turned out to be a huge breakthrough with their alchemic medical theories. 

Turned out, things always came up for Ed. Something always had to be done. New theories needed thought of or proven. Roy had been promoted to General a few months ago, and he had missed that because he wasn’t around. He never had enough time for everything he wanted to do. 

Ed knew eventually he’d have to decide when to incorporate his traveling with seeing Roy more often. Now would probably be a good time to put it into motion, but first he had to get Roy out of there. It wasn’t safe nor could he deal with it in a way that would be conducive to how he wanted it to turn out. He could always make contact later on. 

“You’re going to need to leave eventually.” Ed pulled up his left leg against his chest before grabbing and ripping the sleeve of his shirt. “Anyway, you can go if you want to. I’ll be fine. I doubt any of them are in any condition to follow me.” 

“It doesn’t matter. I got all of them.” Roy reached out and grabbed the cloth from Ed’s hand. “Right now, I need to look at your injuries then we’ll move out.”

“Shouldn’t you be worried about Hawkeye coming after you?” Ed moved his leg away from Roy’s grasp. “I’m sure she’s probably worried about you.” 

“No, I told her I’d be along and to go back the hotel we’re staying at.” Roy grabbed Ed’s knee and held his leg steady. “Hold still for a minute.” 

“And you think she’ll actually listen?” Ed brushed Roy’s hand away and moved back against the wall, making sure not to look over at him. 

His head throbbed, and Ed found it hard to concentrate, especially with Roy looking at him. He knew there’d be a ton of questions and right now, they really didn’t have the time for it. Mustang always made time for plotting, regardless of the circumstances. Ed didn’t see any reason why now would be different. His right leg hurt, and the blood soaked through his pant leg. They couldn’t stay in here forever, and he had to get the bleeding under control before it became a big problem. 

“Hey, do me a favor, alright.” An idea came to him so Ed turned his head to the side and looked Roy. He poked Mustang’s shoulder to get his attention. “I need you to… Oh, wait. Do you have a pen and piece of paper?”

“I hardly think this is the time for that, Ed.” Roy’s eyes were fixated on Ed’s leg. “I have to stop the bleeding. Did the bullet pass all the through?”

Ed’s voice tightened and rose higher despite trying to control his impatience. “I know we have to stop the bleeding that’s why I’m asking—”

“Hold still. Let me think for a minute.” Roy turned Ed’s leg to the side and examined it. He then ripped the bottom part of the pant leg off. The gunshot had gone all the way through. Most likely the bullet was on the other side of the barrier he made. “I’ll have to cauterize it. Follow my lead. I’ll make it as quick as possible.”

“Don’t you dare even think about burning my damn leg, you bastard,” Ed yelled, grabbed Roy’s wrist with his hand, and yanked it away. “If you’d let me finish my goddamn sentence, you’d realize that I’m trying to draw an array for you to use.”

Roy sat back on his haunches and glared at Ed. “I’m not trying to ‘burn’ your leg. Cauterizing a wound is sometimes the only way to stop the bleeding.”

“I get that, I really do, but it’s not necessary.” Ed sucked air in through his mouth and blew it slowly from his nose. “Do you have something for me to write with?” He looked down at his leg and peeled back the cloth he had pressed to it. “Screw it. If you don’t have any paper, I can improvise. I’ll just use my own blood and draw it on the floor.”

“No need. I have both.” Roy unbuttoned the first few buttons on his uniform and slid his hand inside. “I always keep something with me.”

“Thanks.” Ed grabbed the tablet and pen from Roy’s hand and began to sketch out the array. 

Ed’s hand moved quickly across the paper. The array he drew had clean simple lines and wasn’t any that Roy recognized offhand. When he and Al first came up with the concept, they wanted to make an array that almost any basic alchemist could draw. Overcomplicating something for medical use felt wrong since they wanted anyone who could do basic alchemy to be able to use it. They had also kept it small, though once they refined and finished it, Ed knew the circle would probably be a little bigger. Now, though, it fit nicely on a standard piece of journal paper. 

“Here, use this.” Ed tossed the pencil to the floor and handed the paper the Roy. “I’ll put my leg next to it and it should work. Al and I have a radius on this thing so that wound doesn’t need touched.”

Roy picked up the pencil from off the floor and slid it back into his coat pocket. Then he tentatively took the paper and looked over the array. “And you’re sure this will work?”

“It will stop the bleeding, possibly help some of the flesh knit itself back together.” Ed pealed the cloth back from his wound and grimaced. Already some of it stuck to his leg as thinner parts of the blood had congealed and dried. “It’s not perfect and won’t completely heal the inside, but at least I won’t bleed anymore from it.”

“Okay then.” Roy placed the paper near Ed’s leg. He didn’t want to waste anymore time talking, at least not until Ed’s wound healed over. 

When he activated the array a quick flash of light illuminated their faces. The brightness caused his vision to blur a little, and at first, Roy didn’t notice anything had happened, but when his eyes readjusted, Ed’s leg had stopped bleeding. The wound still looked irritated and red but for the most part, the array had done its job. 

“That’s amazing.” Roy tentatively touched the skin around where the gunshot wound had been. “It’s similar to alkahestry but only you drew an array instead of using the same technique Mei Chang used when she healed the Lieutenant Colonel.”

“It’s very similar and also a bit different.” Ed moved his leg back and forth, wincing from the pain. It still felt unhealed on the inside like only his flesh was holding the blood in. “It works basically the same way only alchemists will be able to use it instead. Alkahestry isn’t something that everyone can learn since it uses different properties than alchemy.” 

“Right. Because, it uses the energy directly from the ground itself instead of using energy from created by tectonic movement.” Roy added, pulling his hands back and leaning them against the floor. “At least that’s what I’ve gathered from bits of information I’ve read on it.”

“Yeah, something like that.” Ed patted and poked at his leg, around where the bullet hole was. So far it felt like it worked the way he had wanted and would hold. It would be enough to get him back to his hotel room at least. “So, do you think they’re dead?” Ed asked, jerking his thumb in the general direction of where the men had been. 

“I don’t know.” Roy shrugged then let out a heavy breath, his fingers reached up and rubbed at his temples. “Probably. There wasn’t much room to avoid my attack.”

Ed opened his mouth but then closed it again, unsure of what to say. Now didn’t seem like a good time to pull out some moral code considering he probably would be dead if Roy hadn’t showed up. He knew those ideals only held up so much when reality decided to boot him in the ass. 

“Well, I s’pose we’ll have to make sure before you pull the barrier down.” Ed leaned on his right arm and tried, unsuccessfully, to push himself up. 

Roy looked at him skeptically. “I don’t see how we can be sure beforehand. It’s going to come down, and they’ll either be dead or they’ll still be alive.”

Leaning his ear against the wall Ed tried listening for any sounds on the other side. “Maybe if we’re quiet enough, I’ll hear something.”

A few moments passed and nothing. Ed wasn’t sure if the wall was too thick or if the silence gave him an answer. Then he heard a clap and suddenly the barrier came down. When he looked around the room the only signs of the men was charred ash splattered across the ground. 

“We need to get out of here.” Roy stood up, brushed off his pants, and then tugged upwards on Ed’s arm. “Can you walk?”

“Of course I can walk.” Ed allowed Roy to help him up despite the pain in his leg. “But I’m going to slow you down so you should go on ahead without me. I’ll be fine on my own.” Once he stood up, he pulled away and tested it out on his own; his leg shook but he didn’t fall, which was a good sign. “See, I can stand without your help.”

“I’m not leaving you behind. What if more of them come back and find you here?” Roy stepped closer to Ed and reached out to grab underneath his arm. “There’s no way you can handle it. Not while you’re injured. Not without—”

“If you finish that sentence, I swear I’ll knock you on your ass.” Ed moved out of the way and jabbed his finger at Mustang’s chest. “I’m not an invalid without my alchemy.” 

“I never said you… okay, look, let’s not fight. I’m not leaving you behind. It’s my job to protect Amestrians; therefore, it’s my job to bring you back safely.” Roy then lowered his voice and mumbled out the rest. “Besides, I doubt you could fight your way out of a wet paper bag right now.”

“I heard that, you bastard. You can’t protect everyone, you know. And you fried everyone involved.” Ed knew he had more than enough time before reinforcements would come, and when they did, they would head towards the delegations not here. “And I can damn well sure knock you down so don’t even think because I’m injured you can insult me.”

“They probably had more cohorts, Ed.” Roy lifted him up and slung an arm around his shoulder. “Come on, the sooner we get you out of here, the better.”

“You’re a stubborn asshole.” Ed scowled but this time when Roy moved their bodies closer, he didn’t move away. If one of them didn’t relent, they’d be here all night arguing. 

“And you’re not one to talk.” Roy adjusted them so that he could support Ed enough to walk. 

“How the hell do we always find ourselves in these situations?” Ed laughed and shook his head. It had been a long time since they had seen each other and already they were back to the same old bickering. “Don’t you have somewhere to be right now?”

“No. We wrapped up most of the peace talks this morning.” Roy pulled Ed along out of the room and down the hallway. He tried to ignore the dank smell of the sewers and whatever funk was coming from Ed. “There are a few more things that need negotiated, but other than that, I’d say my trip here was a success.” 

Ed winced at Roy’s optimism, though he could easily pass it off for pain. His leg dragged a little when they started walking. They headed back the way they came. Ed could smell Roy’s cologne or whatever it was he wore. He found it distracting. Their bodies were too close together, and he had lost too much blood earlier to think clearly. Ed knew he’d have to be careful about what he said and did. He hadn’t expected to run into Roy. Not this soon nor had he anticipated being alone with the General. 

“Why are you wearing cologne to a diplomatic meeting?” Ed already felt a little lightheaded, and having Roy so close to him made him feel strange. 

Roy looked at him funny. “I’m not.” When Ed didn’t respond, he simply turned up his nose and sighed. “It’s called taking a shower, Ed, something you might want to try.”

“I know what a damn shower is. Didn’t have time to take one this morning.” Ed conveniently left out the part about how he hadn’t had the time to shower the day before either. In fact, he wasn’t sure the last time he had taken one now that he thought about it. “Too busy trying to tail those guys.”

“Looks like you didn’t have time to take one for a few days,” Roy teased while he tightened his hold on Ed to keep him steady. 

“If you’re going to complain about how I look and smell, do me a favor and don’t.” Ed turned his head away to hide the small smile on his lips. He had missed this even though it sometimes made him cranky. “I can get back on my own so—”

“Didn’t realize you were so touchy.” Roy chuckled and pressed forward. “Relax Ed. We’re almost back to where I came down.”

“We can’t go back that way. Too many people might see us come out.” Ed reached inside his pants pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. He opened it up and looked at it. “Here’s a map of their sewage system. If we going straight, we should be able to come up near the hotel I’m staying at. You can drop me off there.”

“Alright.” Roy stopped to adjust them when he felt Ed slip from his grasp. “How far is your hotel?” 

“It’ll be a ways, all the way across the city.” Ed’s legs buckled underneath him, and Roy quickly grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back up. 

Ed felt dazed. He needed sleep, but all he could think about was how easy it would be to fall and drag Roy to the ground with him. He wondered what Roy would say if he came out with it and kissed him. Other than the awkward silence that would undoubtedly follow, Ed could only imagine there would be a lecture of some sort. Some reason why they shouldn’t or couldn’t. 

The General hadn’t changed much. Even though it had been a few years since they last seen each other, Ed knew that Roy would have to be convinced. Or perhaps if they spent enough time around each other it would happen on its own. He had to be patient. Ed reminded himself that Roy had a lot of baggage trailing behind him. 

Ishval. The war had left behind too much guilt. If Riza and Roy could deny the feelings they once had for each other in order to see their goal to the end, then he had no doubt his feelings could be cast aside if deemed necessary. A part of Ed wondered how smart it would be for Mustang to have any distractions, but then again, he and Al always benefited by having a good support system. And with his traveling, he didn’t see how it’d be an issue. He would mostly be out of the way.

Winry would probably call him an idiot. The last time he had visited her and the kids, she had found his book lying around, which then led to him finally admitting to the reason he started reading it in the first place. That had led to an interesting discussion, soon followed by Al’s input. His brother could never let a chance to add his opinion slip by.

“So, how come you still wear your alchemy gloves when you don’t need them?” Ed decided to keep the conversation going to pass the time. “Back there, you had your gloves on.”

“It’s faster with my gloves. I only have to snap instead of clapping then using my fingers.” Roy glanced over at Ed and smiled. “Plus, it’s helpful if not too many people realize I’ve been through the Gate.” 

“I doubt most people would even know or understand enough about alchemy to realize that.” Ed almost tripped over his own feet and stopped. “Can we slow down a little?”

“Do you need me to carry you?” Roy offered. 

“No, ‘m good.” Ed leaned against Roy’s shoulder and grunted. “Like I said, it’s going to be a ways, but I may need to stop now and then to rest.”

“Fine by me.” Roy moved them both so that Ed could lean against the wall. “We should take one now. Let me know when you’re ready.”

Nodding his head, Ed closed his eyes and allowed himself to sit down for a moment. He had a feeling it was going to take a lot longer than he originally planned to get back to the hotel. But once they did, he would make an offer that hopefully Roy would agree to. If the Creta government was behind this assassination plan, then he needed to tell Mustang about it. An entire folder sat with all the information he had gathered, carefully hidden away in the hotel room. The time had come to step into the light and give whatever he could offer. He could no longer put it off. 

~*~

A few rests had turned into more than Roy had planned. By the end, it felt like it had taken them forever to get through the sewers, but once they made to where Ed had marked an X on the map, the hotel was relatively close by. After Ed’s insistence that they find another way in besides the front door, they decided to try the window. 

So Roy hoisted Ed up and pushed him through the open window, ignoring the loud thump followed by a string of swearing before climbing into the hotel room. In retrospect, he probably should have climbed up first and then pulled Ed through, but now it was too late to worry about it. Once Roy got inside, he closed the window and locked it. 

The hotel room didn’t have much in it, only a single bed, a dresser with a nightstand next to it, and two old looking chairs that had tears in the fabric. On the far side there were a few cupboards and three hooks to hang things on. The bedding and drapes were a dulled out ivory color and all the wooden furniture had nicks in them. He felt a little bad about his feelings on his own hotel room earlier. The rooms Roy and his team had were a lot bigger and fancier. 

“Shit, you could’ve went a little easier on me there.” Ed groaned, leaned up on his elbows, and glared at Roy. “The floor isn’t soft, you know.”

“It was the only way to get you through the window since you couldn’t climb through yourself.” Roy fell a pang of guilt considering Ed’s injuries but knew better than to coddle him. “I’m sure a couple bruises won’t matter so long as you didn’t hurt your leg more.”

“Leg’s fine.” Ed carefully stood up and wondered across the room, his movements slow and deliberate. “I’m gonna get some sleep. Can you find your way back through town?”

“You want to tell me what you were doing back there?” Roy asked when he realized Ed didn’t plan on telling him tonight. He didn’t want to leave without knowing if he’d see Ed again before he left. 

“Not really.” Ed rolled his shoulders and stretched. His leg still hurt like hell but sleeping it off would help. Hopefully, by tomorrow it wouldn’t feel so stiff and achy. If he was lucky, he’d only have a scar in a few weeks. “Was gonna do that tomorrow when ‘m not so tired.”

“I think you owe me some sort of explanation,” Roy pressed, unwilling to back down so easily. “I’ll most likely be asked why I killed people from Creta.”

“They won’t ask many questions if you tell them it was a plot to assassinate you.” Ed glanced over at Roy to see his reaction. Sooner or later he would find out, and Ed always felt it was best to come right out with it rather than avoid the problem. 

Roy’s eyes widened a little. He looked at Ed and thinly pressed his lips together. “Is that what that was all about? They had intended to kill me? But that means—”

“Yes, that’s what it was about.” Ed hobbled over to the small nightstand and pulled out his suitcase that he had shoved between the stand and the bed. “Like I said, I wanted to do this tomorrow after I rested, but now’s as good a time as any. I have an entire folder full of information about it.”

Opening up the suitcase, Ed gently kneeled down, making sure to put all his weight on his left leg. He had adjusted the lining of the suitcase so that he could hide anything important in it without arousing suspicion. Al had used alchemy to make a fold that would otherwise be hidden at a quick glance. Pushing aside a few books and journals, he reached in and pulled out a slim folder. 

“Here, this is what you’ll need.” When Roy reached down to take the folder, Ed pulled it away. “But first, I have a proposal I want to run by you. An agreement of sorts. And I want you to listen to it tonight since you insisted on this now.”

Roy tilted his head to the side and considered the offer. Taking information from Ed had its benefits. First, he needed ascertain what he would be required to give in return. “What do you want in exchange for the information?”

“No need to look worried. It’s simple enough.” Ed brushed sweaty bits of his hair away from his face. “I want to be one of your informants.”

“That’s what you want?” Roy looked surprised like he had expected Ed to say something else. “Nothing else?”

“What else would I ask for?” Ed narrowed his eyes and looked at Roy, concerned about where the conversation might be headed. He hated it when people implied he had ulterior motives.

“People generally ask for money or information in return,” Roy simply stated. 

“Oh.” Ed blew out a relieved sigh. “Yeah, well, I don’t need your money, and I doubt you have any information I’d be interested in. Not a political nut personally.” He fiddled with the folder before holding it out again. “Remember, I’m mainly studying new ways to combine alkahestry and alchemy and besides, Al and I decided to start something new, or not new now, but yeah. No equivalent exchange necessary on this one. If you don’t end up the Fuhrer, then who will?”

“I see your point.” Roy took the folder from Ed and slid it into his coat. “Still, being an informant can be risky. Today was a sample of what—”

Ed waved his hand, brushing off Roy’s concern. “Sheesh, I know what I’m signing up for.”

“But… why?” Roy gently asked. “You have your research with Al. Isn’t that enough? Isn’t that more important?”

“I didn’t think you’d turn down any more help or ask so many questions.” A thoughtful look came over Ed’s face. Why would Roy make it harder for himself? The offer was there for the taking. “If you’re going to reach the top, you’ll need all the help you can get, right?”

“It’s not that simple, Ed.” Roy sat down in the chair closest to the door and sighed. When he moved, it creaked and wobbled. “You and Al, you both have more to look forward to than helping me become Fuhrer. It’s not something you can start then simply stop. It’s dangerous and sometimes informants have to do unsavory things to gather information.”

“Like I said, I’m aware of the dangers.” Ed’s face took on a look of determination. He wouldn’t back down from this no matter what. “I didn’t come up with idea without thinking it through. And it makes sense. I’m always traveling, and I’m not bound to the military. You could use someone who gets around a lot to be your eyes and ears in places you’re not at.”

They sat in silence. Ed knew Roy was thinking over his proposal so he said nothing more on it. When he went to stand up, he almost lost his balance. Roy moved forward in the chair, most likely out of reflex, and Ed grabbed a hold of the nightstand to steady himself out. 

“You should see a doctor.” Roy watched Ed try to stretch out and noticed how his leg still didn’t move quite like it should. “You said it only stopped the bleeding so that means you need to have your leg looked at.” 

Ed narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Can’t do that. There isn’t a doctor in Creta I can go to, not without rousing suspicion.”

“Then I’ll take you back to Amestris with me.” Roy stepped closer to Ed, hoping if he pushed enough, he would get his way. 

“Sorry, can’t do that.” Ed pulled his shirt up over his head and tossed it onto the chair closest to the bed. “Got too much stuff to do here still.”

Roy rubbed his hand across his face. No one could frustrate him quite like Ed could. “Alright, I’ll make you a deal then. You want to be one of my informants, right? I’ll agree to it on the condition that you come back to Amestris and have a doctor look at your leg before coming back to Creta.”

“That’s it? Your condition?” Ed looked at Roy incredulously. “That was ridiculously easy. You know what your problem is?” he let out a sharp bark of laughter. “You worry too much about other people instead of your own problems.”

“You of all people should know I take care of my own. The two aren’t separate, Ed. If I can’t take care of my own, then my plan is flawed, after all, that’s the reason behind all this,” Roy explained. “And the condition will extend to you getting treated for any injuries along the way. Not just this one. I don’t want you forsaking your health on my account.” 

“Fine, whatever. I’ll come back to Amestris with you, but I’m not gonna stay longer than I have to.” Ed sat down on the edge of the bed and considered his options. Agreeing to Roy’s condition seemed like the best for now. “There’re still things here that I need to look into.”

“What kind of things?” Roy asked, his voice becoming suspicious. 

“I’ll let you know when I find out for sure.” Ed grinned, swinging his legs onto the bed. He knew his answer would drive Roy crazy. He couldn’t resist the chance, though. “But I doubt this was the only plan to assassinate you.” Ed lay down on the bed and pulled the thin blanket up over his chest, dismissing Roy. “Hey,” A thought struck him suddenly. “You’re not planning on keeping me in East City for long, are you?”

Roy walked over to the door and turned around. “Only for as long as it takes for you to heal. I’ll be right back. I’m going to call Hawkeye and tell her where I’m at. One of us will wake you up an hour before we have to catch the next train out.”

The strong urge to get up and lock the door overwhelmed Ed. It would serve the bastard right for asking so many questions and making demands when he felt like crap. He also didn’t care for the idea of seeing Roy in this condition. But the bed felt so good, belying his exhaustion. Lying down had won out over arguing or locking the door and within minutes he was asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't know how I feel about this chapter. Ed was difficult at points. It's been a long time since I've written multi-chapter for fanfiction that I had forgotten how tedious the editing can be. Ofc, more to come and things will be revealed and explained as the story unfolds. I'm going to shoot for updating this story, once or twice a month. A lot will depend on RL, the complexity of the chapter, what else I have to write, etc. 
> 
> Warnings, tags, and ratings will be added as the story goes with each chapter. There will be eventual EdRoy in this story or however which way they fall. 
> 
> For any clarification on details before this story, I have three oneshots written in the series that should help explain what's going on up to this point.


	2. Chapter 2

Ed jerked forward and stopped short of biting his lip. The train ride felt far too bumpy this early in the morning. Every time he found a comfortable position, it would jostle his body, and he’d have to start all over again. The more he moved, the worse it seemed to get, making his mood fouler than it had been a moment ago. And with each sudden movement, his leg would ache all the way from his calf up to his groin. 

When Ed had woken up an hour ago, Hawkeye and Mustang were both standing over him with worried looks on their faces. Well, Roy had gently shaken him until he woke up. They had even taken the liberty of packing up the few small belongings he had in the drawers so that he could shower, dress, and then they all could get the next train out. 

For a moment, he had briefly considered if cutting that deal with Roy about going back to Amestris had been worth it. The train didn’t even serve coffee. Only tea and a light breakfast, and they had missed breakfast. His leg still throbbed and now the skin around it looked a little redder than last night, which could mean an infection had set in. He had always healed quickly enough, but Roy’s idea of getting him checked out had been a good one even if he was currently reluctant to admit it. 

There weren’t many passengers on the train, and the cabin they were given was vacant. Right now, Roy’s entire team had scattered for various reasons. The last two to leave him alone were Hawkeye and Mustang. Ed had caught the eye movement they gave each other and a slight head nod so he figured they had probably went off to discuss his new arrangement with them. He could almost imagine the conversation those two would have if he felt more ambitious to think about it. 

He turned and looked out the window, watching the trees and brush pass by. Soon they would pass across the boarder and into Amestris. Ed couldn’t wait. There were aspects of Creta he loved, like the regular, everyday people, but the government left a lot to be desired. It reminded him of how Amestris was when Father controlled it. Only the Creta government was controlled by people and not very bright ones at that. 

He let out a heavy sigh of frustration. The seat felt hard, and he still couldn’t find a comfortable position without making his leg hurt more. After wiggling around for awhile, Ed finally established a good spot, propping his left leg up on the seat while stretching out his other. He rested his chin in the palm of his hand and closed his eyes, hoping to doze for bit while he had some peace and quiet. Then a noise came from the cabin ahead of him. 

That’s when he heard muffled voices coming through the door on the far end of the car. He first recognized Mustang’s voice, then Hawkeye’s. Ed turned to his suitcase and opened it up and rooted around in a fruitless attempt to distract himself. Soon, curiosity got the better of him so he zipped it back up, quietly stood, and made his way over to the door. 

Pressing his ear against the hard wood, Ed leaned closer and tried to make out what they were saying. At least this would give him something to occupy his time, and he really wanted to know how Roy talked about him when he wasn’t around. 

 

~*~

“Sir, do you think it’s wise to allow Edward Elric to be an informant for you?” Riza stood in front of him, back straight, and her face expressionless. 

If anyone else other than someone from his team had asked that question, he might have felt offended. At least annoyed. All of them had worked with Ed before, but their continued support they’ve shown Roy throughout the years had earned them the right to ask questions, especially Hawkeye. And whenever they did, he had learned the importance of taking the time to listen even if he really didn’t understand the need for concern. 

Roy sat down on the seat closest to Hawkeye and folded his hands in his lap. “Ed’s more than capable of gathering intelligence for me.” He laced his fingers together and looked up. “I’ll admit that at first I was hesitant, but it really does make sense.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Riza looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment before she wet her mouth and continued. “It’s just that, in the past, you both have always had trouble working together without getting under each other’s skin. And while everything turned out alright before, there was a larger, greater threat to worry about as well. Now there isn’t something else to offset that possibility.”

“We’ll be fine working together, but thank you for your concern.” Roy smiled genuinely, hoping to dispel any hesitation. “Besides, getting under Ed’s skin always motivated him in the past. Maybe it will work in my favor now.”

“Perhaps it works both ways then considering he tended to do the same to you.” Riza pursed her lips and returned his smile. “But still, I think you should proceed with this delicately.”

Roy let out a short bark of laughter. He couldn’t deny he agreed with that sentiment. “Perhaps. Ed was often a loose canon when he was younger. I’m not sure that’s an issue now that he’s older.”

“Will you handle him like you do your other informants?” Riza asked even though she thought she already knew the answer. 

“I’m not sure. Probably not. Ed’s not like my other informants. His role certainly won’t be the same.” Roy leaned back against the seat and sighed. “Most of them are women so it’s easy to pass it off as dating. I’d rather not go there with him even if it was only an exchange of information. It would undoubtedly raise too many uncomfortable questions. However, we were former comrades so it would be easy enough to pretend we’re two friends having a drink at a bar.” 

“I agree that it would be best to try and pass any exchange off as a simple meeting, but it may seem suspicious if you both suddenly start having more contact with each other when neither of you kept in touch before,” Riza pointed out, putting her hands behind her back. 

“Well, this time, it’ll be easy enough to explain by us running into each other in Creta.” Roy curiously looked at her, wondering where the conversation would head. “Afterwards, I’ll think of something. Even if we have to meet in secret, I think it will be well worth the risk. If nothing else, he can be my eyes in places I can’t reach.”

“You could use other means of communicating as well and only reserve personal meetings if Edward has to pass information directly to you,” Riza calmly suggested. While the General had probably already thought of it, it never hurt to make sure. “It would cut down on the meetings, and it’s less likely to arouse suspicion.” 

“I could also ask Madame Christmas for her help. She could act as a go-between for us.” Roy sighed and closed his eyes for a moment so that he could think more clearly. While he agreed he needed a plan, he didn’t feel it would be hard to come up with something both he and Ed could work with. Opening his eyes a little, he peeked up at Hawkeye through his bangs. “No one will question if Ed starts frequenting her bar. 

“We could simply meet there the first time for a drink, and then Ed could act like he’s going back because he enjoyed some of the company there. I think we could even occasionally bump into each other there with no problems arising from it. It’s not like too many officials in Central could say much since they’ve been known to show up at her bar to pick up women.”

“Sir, I suggest whatever plans you make to finalize them before Ed leaves Amestris again.” Riza frowned for a moment like something else was bothering her before pulling herself together again. “And please be clear with your expectations. While the rest of the team generally understands your inferences, Ed always appreciated the more direct and straight forward approach.” 

“Yes, though he is older now, and it seems he’s a lot more discreet.” Roy wasn’t sure where her hesitance was coming from. He had thought Hawkeye would be happy to Ed working for him again. “I don’t think he’ll have a hard time leaning our code or keeping up with us.”

“Edward’s always been a fast learner, but I was thinking more along the lines of how conversation will between the two of you,” Riza clarified. “While I’m sure he won’t have a problem with talking in code when other people are around, I think it would be best to keep your personal meetings as upfront and straightforward as possible. He’ll respect you more for it, Sir.”

“Ah, I see what you mean now.” Sometimes Roy wondered how far he would have come without Hawkeye watching his back. It was easy for him to get caught up in the stealth of his work that sometimes he missed the simple things, but she would always be there to pull him back when he needed it. “Lieutenant Colonel, you always manage to keep me going in the right direction.”

“Just doing my job, Sir.” Riza smiled at Roy and held out her hand. 

Roy took it, stood up, and put his hand on her shoulder. They both knew better. They Riza Hawkeye only “did her job” would be the day it all fell a part for him. “We should head back before Ed starts getting suspicious or bored. Who knows what he’ll get up to if left alone for too long.” 

 

~*~

When he heard Mustang and Hawkeye began to move, Ed quickly hobbled, or at least tried to, back to his seat before they caught him eavesdropping. He sat down, a little too hard, on the seat, held back a yelp, and hastily pulled out one of his books, flipping it to a random page. Someone cleared their throat behind him, and Ed turned to look, knowing he had been caught. 

Havoc sat down next to him and grinned. The toothpick in his mouth moved upwards with his smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t say anything about you listening in.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Ed groused while folding his arms across his chest. The book flat against his body, still open to the random page he had found. “Couldn’t hear anything anyway. Damn walls are too thick.”

“Here.” Havoc shoved a tall ceramic cup at him. “Heard there was no coffee on here so I asked the Conductor if I gave them some if they could make it.”

Ed gladly took the offered coffee. The first sip tasted slightly bitter but overall not bad. Sighing, he held the cup closer so that he could feel the warmth and leaned his head back against the seat. “Thank you. You are a life saver.” 

“The boss said that they didn’t give you enough time to stop and have any this morning so I figured this would perk you up a bit.” Havoc took a sip of his own coffee and somehow managing not to get the toothpick in the way of drinking it. “It’s top quality coffee straight from my parents’ General Store.”

“Sure didn’t.” Ed took another sip and closed his eyes, relishing in the warmth and taste. Havoc wasn’t bragging. This time the coffee tasted richer, and it was strong, the way he liked it. “As soon as they woke me up, I had time to shower and dress. Though Hawkeye did shove this creamy, cheesy pastry in my mouth on our way here. I’ve had better.”

Havoc glanced down at Ed’s stretched out leg and nodded his head in its direction. “How’s your wound?”

“It’s not really much of a wound anymore since Mustang used that array on it. But it still hurts like hell. Nothing I can’t deal with, though.” Ed rubbed the top of his right thigh, making sure not to touch the sensitive area around where bullet had gone though. “Sort of used to getting busted up every once in awhile.”

“If you were still in the Military, I wouldn’t be surprised.” Havoc set his hands on his knees and moved the toothpick around. “But what’re you doing that gets you into trouble?”

“I’m sure you already know about my offer.” Ed glanced out the window before turning back to Havoc. “Been working on gathering that information for while now. Some of it wasn’t easy to come by.”

“Ah, I see. So the offer wasn’t a spur of the moment kind of thing.” Havoc set the coffee down on the small table in front of him and folded his hands together. 

“I have to admit I didn’t plan for it to happen this soon, but…” Ed paused for a moment and then shrugged, not knowing what else he could say about it. It seemed really simple in his mind. “It’ll work out. And besides, just because I’m not a State Alchemist anymore doesn’t mean I don’t have a little fun now and then.”

Havoc laughed and looked at Ed knowingly. “Only you would consider getting into fights having fun.”

“That’s not true.” Ed tried to keep a grin off his face and failed. Sometimes Havoc's good nature was too infectious to ignore. “I know a lot of people who enjoy a scuffle on occasion.”

“If you say so.” Havoc teased, nudging Ed's shoulder with his hand. “What's normal for an Elric isn't normal for most people.”

“That's because Elrics know how to have fun.” Ed coolly replied, bumping Havoc back. “So, where’s everyone else?” He had thought they'd all end up sharing a cabin for the ride back to Amestris, but since they dispersed, he hadn’t seen anyone else since. 

“Breda, Fuery, and Falman have decided to take another car, and you know where the other two are at.” Havoc finished off the coffee and pushed the mug off to the side. His fingers tapped against the table. Ed could only assume it was from nervous energy from not being allowed to smoke on the train. 

“Why would they sit in another car?” Ed couldn't deny the silence was somewhat welcome, but it also felt weird not to see Roy's team all together. 

“I don’t know.” Havoc shrugged then grinned. “They may have mentioned something about wanting peace and quiet.”

Ed scowled. Sometime he couldn't tell if Havoc was being serious or messing with him. “And what? They don’t think they’ll get that here?”

“I can’t say I blame them.” Havoc slapped Ed on the shoulder and shook his head. “It’s hard to imagine it being peaceful with you and the General around.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Ed's eyes narrowed and his teeth scraped against his bottom lip. He kept Havoc within his sight to see if there were any tells that he was being teased. “We’re not that bad.” 

“You kind of are.” Havoc flashed Ed another grin before his voice took on a more serious tone. “So what exactly are you intentions with helping the boss out?”

“They’re exactly as I said.” Ed looked down at the table and fiddled with the coffee mug. He knew there would be questions, and considering how quickly he left the military, he couldn't blame anyone from wondering what his plans were. Taking a swallow of his coffee, he looked back up at Havoc. “He can always use more help in his circle of trusted people, and I’m already traveling around so I see a lot of things, meet a lot of people. Even if there’s nothing bad to report, it will still help to know what’s going on in other countries.”

Havoc gave him a strange look like he wanted to say something else but then thought better of it. Ed almost questioned the odd reaction, but then the cabin door opened and Mustang stepped through the doorway closely followed by Hawkeye. Ed pretended to focus on the wall next to him instead of the way Roy confidently walked into the cabin like nothing could touch him. He wondered how Mustang could pull that off everyday without it slowing him down. 

“The walls in here are thick, aren’t they, Ed?” Roy had a small smirk on his face when he sat down across from Ed. “I bet it’s hard to figure out what’s being said on the other side of them.” 

Ed hissed out an exasperated breath and lightly punched the seat once. He knew a baiting when he saw one. He should have known Mustang would figure out he had tried to listen in on their conversation. But instead of commenting on it, he let it go. He didn’t feel like he had the energy to keep up with Roy’s banter this morning.

“Oh and, Ed,” Havoc stood up and put his hand on the back of the seat so that he leaned towards Ed. “Rebecca and I are getting married next month. You and Al will come, won’t you?”

Reaching into his coat pocket, Ed pulled out a small book and opened it. Inside was a small black pen. “Sure, tell me the exact date so I won’t forget.”

“You write everything down?” Roy asked, seemingly surprised that Ed would take the time to do that. 

Ed glanced up at Mustang while writing down the date in his book. “It’s mainly for Winry. She’ll have my hide if I don’t call in a few times a month and let her know I’m still kicking.” Everyone got quiet, and he noticed a few strange and uncomfortable glances between the three of them. “What?”

“Nothing,” Havoc quickly said. “It’s nothing at all.”

There were a few more glances between the three of them. And when no one said anything after a bit, Havoc was the first to answer. “I think a lot of people had thought that you two would be married by now with a couple kids trailing behind you.”

Ed shrugged and closed his book, slipping it back into his coat pocket. “Yeah, well, things don’t always turn out the way you think they will, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Winry and I are happy where we’re at in regards to our friendship.”

“And no one said there was anything wrong with that.” Roy calmly replied, attempting to defuse the situation. 

“Then stop acting so damn awkward whenever her name comes up.” Ed sucked in a deep breath and rubbed his temple. The last thing he wanted to do was snap at everyone. “Look, I’m tired. Think I’m gonna sleep for a bit. Would you mind leaving me be for awhile?”

When no one said anymore, Ed lay down on the seat and closed his eyes. The last thing he heard were two sets of footsteps walking towards the door and closing it with a soft click. 

 

~*~

Ed immediately knew he wouldn’t like the doctor who came in to see him. The way the man looked down on him through his big hooked nose had been enough. Then the jerk started rambling off nonsense about how all kinds of tests would need done in order to figure out his injury. He even insisted after Ed explained slowly and carefully what had happened. Nothing bothered him more than needing to repeat himself for no real reason other than some jerk decided they wanted to be an ass about whatever they were asking him to explain. 

A light knock on the door disrupted his thoughts. At first Ed ignored it until he realized whoever was on the other side didn’t plan on leaving. “Come in, already, will you.”

Roy opened the door and quietly shut it behind him. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the chair next to it. “How’re you feeling?”

“I want to see Doctor Knox,” Ed plainly answered while he fiddled with his hair, hoping to tame it down somewhat. “Can’t he come in and check me out?”

“Is there something wrong with the doctor you have now?” Roy shifted in his seat, bracing himself for a rant. 

“Yeah, he’s an asshole.” Ed folded his arms across his chest and scowled. “I don’t like him at all.” 

“Any other reason than ‘he’s an asshole?’ Because, I can call Knox, but normally he doesn’t take live patients.” Roy knew Knox occasionally saw people the side, but that had never been for official hospital visits. He wasn’t even sure if Knox would be allowed to see Ed here since technically he didn’t practice anymore. 

“I thought he was thinking about getting into regular medicine.” Ed tugged the thin blanket up further so that it covered his shoulder. The damn hospital room felt drafty since he arrived. 

“He was and is, but he’s also the best coroner that Central has.” Roy reached over and tucked in the sides of the blanket. He stood up and did the same until the entire blanket was half underneath Ed’s body; neither of them commented on it nor on how the air in the room seemed to get thicker. “Getting transferred hasn’t been that easy.”

“Can’t you do something about that?” Ed nestled down into bed, relishing in the warm that started to take hold now that cold air wasn’t getting in under the blanket. “I mean, after all he’s done for all of us, isn’t there some way to make that happen sooner?”

Roy pulled the chair closer to the bed. It made a harsh scraping sound as it scraped across the floor. Once he deemed it in the right spot, he sat back down. “I can’t push people forward based on personal opinion, Ed. I have written quite a few letters of recommendation for transfer, but he’s not my subordinate so ultimately it’s not up to me to move him.”

“Maybe asking him will be a nice break from working around dead people all day.” Ed peered over at Roy with a conspiring look on his face. “We would technically be helping him out, right?”

“If you’d like to believe that, I won’t argue with you.” Roy knew Ed wouldn’t let this go easily, but still, he didn’t see a reason to drag Knox into it when there were other doctors that were perfectly capable of doing the same job. “I’m sure Doctor Knox has other things to do.”

“Call him,” Ed’s voice had taken on a hint of desperation. He felt more comfortable with someone whom he knew what to expect. “Please. You’d be doing me a huge favor.”

“Alright. I’ll stop by his office on my way back to work and let him know you asked for him,” Roy relented. He found it difficult to say no when Ed asked so nicely and in that tone of voice. Still he couldn’t guarantee anything. “That’s the best I can do. Whether or not he’ll agree is up to him.”

“He’ll agree.” Ed knew he was asking a lot, but Knox had never let him down before. And he didn’t mind giving something equivalent, like an exchange of information or passing a letter onto his family. “I can’t see Knox saying no.”

“I think he’s going to give you a piece of his mind.” Roy’s voice held a satisfied tone to it. He knew that even though it wouldn't deter Ed, it would be an equivalent exchange so to speak for bothering Knox while he was at work. 

“I don’t care about that.” Ed waved his hand in the air, brushing Roy’s words aside. He knew what he was asking for and could handle it. “Rather have him than some stuck-up asshole looking down on me. Knox has helped me out before. I'll make sure I pay him well and give adequate compensation.”

“You certainly won’t have to worry about that with Knox.” Roy felt a little surprised that Ed had seen Knox other times. He wondered what those injuries were from and when they happened. “How is your leg anyway?”

“The doctor didn’t say much other than I’ll probably need surgery, which I expected. And he wants to run a lot of tests even though I already told how I got hurt. The last time I had to heal a wound using alchemy, I had the same thing happen, though that one was a lot more dangerous, but I do know what I’m talking about,” Ed explained. The doctor hadn’t said much else to him. “They’ll need to open it up and see if anything needs cleaned out and stitched up. Seems like a lot of work to me, but it has gotten redder since we left Creta.” 

“Did he happen to mention how long you’d be in here for?” Roy shifted his weight to his other hand. He lightly tapped his right hand against the arm of the chair since it had started to fall asleep. 

“Pfft, are you kidding? The bastard couldn’t leave the room fast enough.” Ed rolled his eyes. Even thinking about the jerk irritated him. “I have no idea how long this will take. Or when they’ll actually get around to doing it. It seemed more of a bother to him than anything else.”

Roy almost laughed at the thought of Ed in a hospital for a long period of time before his thoughts turned to how crabby it would make the hospital staff. “I can’t see you having the patience for any long stays in the hospital.” 

Ed picked at the hem of the blanket and shrugged. “If I don’t get out of here soon, you may come by and find me gone. It’s only a shot wound. I would think they’d be used to handling this sort of thing by now.”

“If it gets even more infected it won’t matter what kind of wound you have.” Roy stood up and put the chair back into its original position. “Still, you should take it easy. At least until the doctor get a better look at your leg. I have to get back to work. I’ll talk to Knox and send him over if he’s willing.” 

“Sure. I’ll see you when I see you.” Ed waved goodbye and waited until there was nothing but him and the cold silence of the room. 

When Roy left, Ed picked up the tablet and pen he had laid down on the small table next to his bed. He scribbled a few things down and closed it up. Normally he wouldn’t leave something like that out in the open, but he doubted any of the staff could read Xingese. When Al had first learned he kept a journal of all his encounters with Roy, he had laughed, promptly told Ed he had it bad for the General, and then came up with several reasonable explanations as to why he shouldn’t write it all down. But Ed didn’t care. There were things he wanted, felt like he needed to record, regardless of any possible consequences. Memories sometimes faded but words written down never did. 

~*~

Doctor Knox gave Ed a once over and frowned. “What the hell did you do to yourself now?”

Ed flashed his teeth and put on his best winning grin, hoping to minimize the amount of annoyance Knox would feel towards him. “Oh, nothing much. Accidentally caught a bullet in my leg, but it’s sort of healed.”

“Sort of? As in you used some shoddy array to temporarily fix it? ” Knox set down his bag and unzipped it. “Normally, I don’t come to hospitals. It would have been a lot easier for you to come to me.”

“The array wasn’t shoddy, and I tried but the bastards here won’t let me leave,” Ed irritably explained. He didn’t appreciate any of his or Al’s arrays being called shoddy, regardless of who said it. They worked hard to come up with something solid and then make them better each time. “Are they even okay with you taking over?”

“Do you really care?” Knox rustled through his bag before pulling out a stethoscope. He put it over his ears and moved the bottom of it around Ed’s chest to listen to his heartbeat. “I think the General pulled some strings for you, although, I’m not sure why.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad, and I don’t usually get busted up anymore.” Ed honestly had no idea why Roy had relented to his request so easily either. He had thought he would really have to push and fight for it. 

Knox gave him a suspicious look. “There are some new scars since the last time I checked you and your brother out.”

“Eh, that time wasn’t our fault—” Ed started to explain. 

“It never is,” Knox tersely replied. He pushed up the hospital gown and moved Ed's leg so he could get a better view of what it looked like. 

“No, it usually is. I can admit that, but seriously, we didn’t really do anything wrong per se.” Ed watched Knox carefully touch the reddened skin. Already he could tell a small infection had settled in because there were bumps where the skin had been forced to heal over the wound. But it still didn't look too bad. He certainly had worse. “And we really appreciated you looking us over on such short notice. These guys always want an explanation. They don’t get it.”

“Most people shouldn’t get it.” Knox opened one of the bumps with a small scalpel and some yellowish puss came out. He looked at Ed and grunted. “What do you think they’d do if they really knew what the world was like?”

“Yeah. I see your point.” Ed leaned up and planted the palms of his hands against the bed so he could watch what Knox was doing more closely. “So will I need surgery?”

“I’ll need to open your leg back up.” Knox cleaned up the area and wiped off his scalpel. When he was done, he put the medicinal cloth in a plastic bag. “You’ll need some stitching done, I’m sure. It'll need drained too, and you'll need to take some antibiotics. If not, the infection will get worse and spread.”

“Well, I suppose I’m not surprised. The array I had Mustang use was only a temporary fix so I wouldn’t lose too much blood.” Ed rubbed his thigh, hoping to ease some the itch and ache since he couldn't touch the area Knox was looking over. 

“I won’t know the extent of the damage until I open you up and the sooner the better.” Knox reached in his bag again and pulled out more tools, most of which looked really sharp and painful to Ed. He laid a sterile cloth on the food tray near the bed. “The skin around it is too red already. I don't like that you have some puss build up in your leg already either. I can only guess that wherever you were wasn't the cleanest and some things got trapped under your skin from the array.”

“I know. It feels weird. There’s a tingling sensation there and it’s warmer than the rest of my body.” Ed moved his fingers down over his knee only to have Knox swipe it away. “When do you want to do it?”

“Now, if I can.” Knox started pulling out more of his surgical tools and laying them out along the tray. “I can give you something for the pain and then I’ll start.”

“Right here? Don’t you want to move me to another room?” Ed jerked his thumb in the direction of the door. “Shouldn't we use a sterile area?” 

“Yes, right here. I doubt they’ll allow me to use one of their surgical units, and I don’t see how this is any different than me patching you up at my house. This room is a lot cleaner.” Knox reached in his bag for a pair of gloves and some antiseptic wipes. “I don't remember you complaining then.”

“How long will it take?” Ed braced himself for another stinging sensation while Knox went to work preparing his leg. 

“As long as it needs.” Knox pressed down particularly hard when he said it, and Ed didn’t know if it was coincidence or if he should close his mouth until they were finished. “Don’t try to rush me.” 

“Fine, alright, okay. I won’t hurry you. Sheesh.” Ed held up his hands. His leg jerked when Knox whipped it down again. “Take your time with it. Not like I want to get out of here as soon as possible or anything.”

“That’s much better.” Knox took out a syringe with a long needle and pressed it into Ed’s thigh. “Now let me work.”

Ed decided that his idea to keep quiet would be best. The less distraction Knox had the better. And the less painful it would be and the sooner he’d be able to leave. So instead, he focused his thoughts on the past few weeks. He focused on Roy’s visits more than anything until he had completely blocked out what Knox was doing. When his leg started to feel numb, Ed barely felt the scalpel make its first cut. 

~*~

Each hour he stayed in the room, Ed swore the hospital bed grew more uncomfortable. Even the pillows felt flat, hard, and lumpy. How terminal patients dealt with it, he didn’t know. He would end up losing his mind if he had to stay here for a long period of time. Other than Roy, no one else really came by. Havoc stopped in once, but from what he told Ed, they were busy with some errands that Grumman had sent their way. 

Apparently, Mustang had been able to either delegate his work to someone else or finish it up quickly. Ed had never been able to figure out if Roy had mastered slacking or was so good at doing what he did when it came to paperwork, it only appeared that way. It always seemed to get done somehow and yet the rest of the team was busy with other things. The bastard was sneaky like that (which only fascinated Ed more). 

There were a few days Ed had time alone except for when one of the nurses would come in to check on him. The surgery fortunately had gone well enough. Doctor Knox had opened Ed’s leg up and patched it the best he could before closing it again. It didn’t take as long as he thought it would, which had been a bonus. For all his bitching, Knox had worked fast and efficiently. 

Ed couldn’t have asked for a better doctor to work on him. Now he only needed to let his leg heal, and he’d be good to go. Already the redness and swelling in his leg had gone down considerably. Other than the ache and soreness he felt whenever he moved it around too much, it didn’t bother him near as bad as before. 

A knock on the door startled him a little, and he quickly covered up his bare legs. “Come in.” 

Roy walked in the room and did his usual routine of closing the door and turning on the overhead light. “Hello, Edward. Feeling better today?”

“You slackin again?” Ed looked out the window and watched two small birds flutter around in the tree next to the hospital. 

“I never slack.” Roy sat down in his usual spot next to the bed and pulled the chair closer. “How long will you be in here?”

“Knox said I could leave tomorrow morning.” Ed turned back to Roy. He was wearing his black coat again today along with a cream colored scarf even though underneath he had on his military uniform. “I’ll have to take it easy for awhile, but he didn’t say I couldn’t travel.”

“Are you capable of traveling _and_ taking it easy?” Roy put his elbow on his knee and rested his chin in the palm of his hand so that he and Ed were mere inches apart. “Those two ideas don’t mix well with you.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Ed pushed himself to the edge of the bed and swung his legs over the edge. “Maybe I’ll visit Al in Xing. It’s been awhile since I’ve been out that way, and I have some research to show him anyway.” Then he slowly stood up, wobbled for a moment before righting himself, and carefully walked over to where his glass of water sat on the small table near the door. “Do you have anyone looking into the stuff I gave you? Because, I can head back out west if you need me to if something is incomplete.”

“I could have gotten that for you.” Roy had paused midway from getting out of the chair. When Ed only shrugged before grabbing the water he sat back down. “Part of our agreement was that you would take care of yourself. Sending you back out there so soon would probably be a bad idea.” 

“Not if I laid low.” Ed hobbled back over to the bed and sat down. “And it’s fine. Knox said that even though I should be careful, it wouldn’t do me any good to avoid using it.”

“But you won’t lay low. Not if you find something else that you feel is important.” Roy spread his arms across the chair and leaned back with his legs open. “I can send someone else to check into it if I need to. What you gave me was pretty clear so I don’t think I’ll need anyone on it right away. Xing is a good idea. You should go visit your brother and let your leg heal.”

“Are you always this bossy?” Ed took a large drink of water and swallowed while eying up Roy’s casual sitting position, which earned him an odd yet thoughtful look in return. If Roy suspected something, he didn’t comment on it. “That wasn’t really a question, by the way. Already know the answer. And don’t send anyone else unless you have to. I don’t think Creta will do anything so long as you stay in Amestris.”

“I can promise you I won’t be returning there at least for another month or so.” Roy frowned and thought about the situation. He needed to know before they went any further with their plans. The last thing he wanted was for Ed to realize their deal had been a mistake and to regret it. “Are you sure you can handle this arrangement? It’s not too late to back out. I won’t hold it against you if you do.” 

“I’m sure.” Ed set the water down and eased himself back onto the bed, mindful not to jostle his leg around too much. “I can handle anything you throw at me.”

“I’m going to hold you to it then.” Roy reached around and ran his hand down the front of his shirt, smoothing it out. “And I expect you to keep to your end. Don’t do anything unnecessary or rash no matter what end you’re trying to chase.”

Ed saluted with a dry look on his face. “Yes, Sir.”

“Don’t be a smartass, Ed.” Roy frowned at Ed’s sarcasm. “I’m being serious.”

“Did you confront them, after you took me to my hotel room?” Ed casually changed the subject. Deflection, he was learning it well and getting good at it.

“Not directly. I did explain the situation and of course they pretended they knew nothing about it.” Roy narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything about the change in topic. “Still, before I left, I made sure they knew that next time we were there, we would watching them carefully.”

“You really should do peace talks with Aerugo instead. They’re much more receptive and open than Creta.” Ed closed his eyes and rested his head against his pillow. “It’s much nicer there too. Fancier. You’d like it.”

“What makes you think I’d like it because it’s fancy?” Roy rolled his shoulders and grinned. 

“Are you really asking me that?” A grin slowly spread across Ed’s face, and he sat back up, leaned forward on his elbow until his face was only a few inches away from Roy’s. “You like fancy things. We both know it’s true. They really know how live there.”

“I didn’t see anything wrong with Creta.” Roy tilted his head back, putting some more space between them. 

“The only thing wrong with Creta is the government.” Ed thought about moving in closer to see what would happen but decided not to push his luck. “If you stick to the outskirts of the city and the regular people, then it’s fine. Some of the nicest people you’ll meet. Always willing to help or give you a place to stay.” 

“The government there seems to have trouble reigning in all the different cultures they’ve acquired.” Roy folded his arms and crossed his legs. 

“You mean conquered. Maybe if they didn’t force all those cultures into their government, they’d have less trouble with it. ” Ed’s face turned thoughtful at the new more closed up position Roy was sitting in. Did it mean anything? He wasn’t sure. “When you think about it, it’s not too different than what Amestris did only here, there generally wasn’t much left of the people that were assimilated into the country.” 

“At least we don’t do that anymore.” Roy had complete faith that Fuhrer Grumman would keep on the right path, and if he had his way, he would be next in line or someone else who was worthy of holding the title. 

“No offense but I don’t think I’ll completely trust our government until you reach the top. I know Grumman is a good man, but he’s old.” Ed had seen how easily a government could change within in a night. Hell, they had caused it to happen once in Amestris so there was no guarantee someone else couldn’t do the same. “He could go anytime and then what? Are you close enough to take over for him? Has he even named you as his successor?” 

“Fuhrer Grumman won’t name a successor. If anything, he’ll let us work it out.” Roy smile wryly. “Or fight it out.”

“Us?” Of course Ed knew there were other people who would love to make it to the top, but he never seriously thought they stood a chance against Mustang. 

“Yes, us. I’m not the only person interested in becoming the next Fuhrer.” Roy chuckled and his eyes lit up. “It’ll be interesting to see how it turns out. I do like a good challenge.”

“But you’re the only one who will succeed. I know it. It has to be you. Who else is there? General Armstrong?” Ed didn’t like the thought of other people trying to reach where he felt Roy should be. He also didn’t believe Olivia would seriously consider becoming Fuhrer. She would never leave Briggs and her men. “She’s not going to accept and leave Briggs no matter what she says. I think she only mentions it to bother you.”

“Maybe, although she is more than capable of doing it.” Roy folded his hands together and moved in even closer, immediately making their conversation feel more intimate. Almost like they were conspiring together and excitement lit up in Ed. 

“Sure she does, and it seems like it’s working. She’d never be satisfied with a job like that.” Ed laughed at the thought of her stuck behind some desk, crabby as hell and dishing out orders. “Armstrong likes to be in the middle of things not sitting behind a piece of wood and issuing orders. Thinking about it amusing, though.”

“Still, there’s a chance she’d do it just to spite me.” Roy looked up at Ed, and for a moment felt a weird spark of something. Maybe it was the way Ed looked him that made his stomach do a strange twist. 

Ed nodded in agreement. Roy had a point. “That’s true. The General can be difficult on her best days.”

“I wasn’t even planning on coming by today but decided to.” Roy reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a small slip of paper. He handed it to Ed. “I’m glad I did because I wanted to give this to you before you left the hospital.”

Ed looked down at the paper and noticed it was an address for a bar in Central. “What’s this for?”

“That will be our main point of contact. If you come by my office or my home too often it will look suspicious.” Roy moved in closer while he explained the situation more thoroughly. “The owner of the bar is called Madame Christmas. There will be times when I’ll be there and other times when she’ll give you what you need or if it’s a drop off, you’ll hand it over to her.”

“Who is she?” Ed turned the paper over and then looked over the address again. “You sure you can trust her with this?”

“I can trust her with anything.” Roy smiled and tilted his head. “She’s my mother.”

 

~*~

Ed finished packing his suitcase and zipped it up. After double checking a few time to make sure he had the notes Mustang had given him and his books, he decided it was time to go. Ed grabbed his coat and looked around the hotel room one last time to make sure he had everything else. 

Stooping down, he peeked under the bed and spotted something near the middle. He reached until he grasped the end of it and pulled it out. It was a small trinket, red and black dragon from Xing, that Mei had given him the last time he seen her and Al. Ed pocketed it and grabbed his suitcase, pulling it off the bed. 

A week in Central had been nice, but he was ready to leave, especially since Doctor Knox kept coming by and griping at him about taking it easy and staying off his leg even though Knox had also told him to use it. Roy had made sure to stop by almost everyday too and even came by his hotel room to discuss how they would exchange information. It had always made Ed feel weird when other people fussed and worried about him. He lived his life the way he wanted, even if that meant getting a few bumps and bruises or wounds. And even though he enjoyed seeing Roy more, it felt weird that they had spent so much time together the past week when before long periods of time would go by before they managed to see each other in passing. 

Ed felt around the inside of his coat pocket to make sure he had the slip of paper Roy had given him with contact information on it. Perhaps Winry had been right when she said more people had wanted to keep in touch with him. Now he felt guilty for putting it off, but at least he’d see his old friends more often. And hopefully his new arrangement with Roy would keep him from getting bored and restless, something he had felt slowly building up for the past year. 

Turning off the light, Ed quietly closed the door behind him and quickly walked down the hallway. The train east was due out of the station in twenty minutes, and it would take him about fifteen minutes to get there, if he walked fast. He had twenty minutes total so despite the ache in his leg he would have to push himself a bit. The next train out to Xing wouldn’t be until this evening, and he didn’t want to pay for another night at the hotel. 

The clerk behind the front desk was talking on the phone when Ed got there so he pulled out his room key and set it on the counter. The man paused and thanked Ed for staying before going back to his conversation on the phone. 

He turned around and walked out the front door of the hotel. Heading down the sidewalk, Ed decided to test out how his leg would hold up by walking the few blocks to catch his train. Now he wondered if maybe he shouldn’t have taken Roy’s offer to drive him. 

Instead, he had wanted to push himself to prove that he could, but it felt like a struggle not worth the pain. Fortunately, there weren’t a lot of people out and about on the sidewalks. That made it easier for him to maneuver his way through, and when Ed rounded another corner, he only had to cross the street and walk another block. 

The train station finally came into view. Whistles blew loudly so Ed walked faster. Sometimes if felt like a good deal of his life was spent on trains, but they always got him to where he needed to go even when they left him feeling stiff and tired. It was still the best way to get around. Knowing that he wasn’t capable of jumping onto the train if it started moving, Ed half hobbled, half ran to the ticket booth. 

Handing his ticket to the person at the booth, Ed thanked her and hurried up the few steps and grabbed a seat. An older woman sat across from him, and when she looked his way, he smiled politely. She only eyed him suspiciously back before turning her attention back to knitting. This train was packed. No matter where Ed looked, he felt like he would end up staring at someone else. At least all the seats hadn’t filled up yet. 

After he sat down and put his suitcase down on the seat next to him, he pulled out the journal were he kept sketches of his arrays. The cover had a red flamel he had drawn along with a few basic alchemic arrays. He loved looking it over whenever he needed to pass some time. After looking over some new ideas he wanted to show Al, an odd feeling like he was being watched came over him. Ed looked up. On his left a little brown-haired boy stood there, holding his mother’s hand and looking at him, with his wide blue eyes. The boy smiled and waved. Ed smiled back. Sometimes he thought adults could learn a lot from children. 

The child walked over to him and tugged on the bottom of his coat. “Are you an alchemist?”

“Nope. Not anymore.” Ed grinned and ruffled the kid’s hair. “Gave that up awhile back for someone very important to me.”

“Do you miss it?” the kid asked curiously. 

Ed opened his mouth to answer only to have the kid’s mother pull him away. Obviously, she didn’t realize her child was having a conversation, but it still brought a smile to his face when he heard the kid tug on his mother’s coat as they walked away and tell her that when he grew up, he wanted to be an alchemist. 

The train started to move. He tuned out the chattering around him and reviewed the arrays and notes again. Yawning, he set his journal back in his suitcase, closed it up, and settled into the seat. This train felt a lot more comfortable, and he could only hope when he switched over to the one heading to Xing, he’d get the same comfort. Ed leaned his head against the back of his seat. His eyes felt heavy and soon he was asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel this is a point A to B chapter, and it has more exposition than I'd like. A lot happens here so it was difficult getting everything down that I needed to. Things will pick up as far as action and forward movement in the story from here on out. 
> 
> I realize that Chris Mustang is technically Roy's aunt and foster mother, but since she raised him from a really young age, it seemed to make sense he'd introduce her that way. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for the patience, and I hope everyone enjoys!


	3. Chapter 3

Gripping his suitcase tighter, Ed exhaled loudly. Nothing much had changed since he last visited Xing. At least not the receiving hall. The same large ornate purple drapes covered the walls in the front room of the palace. Guards stood near Ling but not close enough to impose their presence on Ed. They had learned over the years it was best to let the two of them go and do their thing, and for that he felt grateful. 

Ling grinned and pulled Ed into a hug despite the muttered disapproval from his personal guards. Ed had grown used to it. In Xing, an Emperor wasn’t supposed to opening show this much affection for a friend even someone who had visited many times, regardless if his history with the person. 

“You’re suffocating me,” Ed gasped out when his back popped. He swore that each time he visited, Ling got stronger and more overbearing. “Ease up a little there, won’t you.”

“It’s been too long since you’ve last visited.” Ling finally took pity on Ed and let go. Grinning he smoothed out Ed’s navy blue shirt around the shoulders and rested his hands there. “Everything seems so quiet and boring when you’re not around.” 

Ed sucked in a couple deep breaths and let them out slowly. Finally, when the pressure on his chest went away, he looked up at Ling. “Al hasn’t been around to bug you?” 

“Al’s never a bother, Ed.” Ling adjusted the collar on Ed’s shirt that had become skewed from his embrace. “Lately he has been spending most of his time with Mei so he’s not around very much. They’re studying the properties of chi south of here to see if there are any differences. He’s doing very well with it.” 

“So he’s finally done it, hasn’t he?” Ed grinned. He had known Al would eventually get it. His little brother always did pick up on everything quickly. “He can actually feel a person’s chi.”

“Yes, Mei was able to teach him.” Ling started walking and headed towards the main hall; the guards moved to follow closely behind. His robes made a light swishing sound as they passed by a large painting of the former Emperor. “Of course, as you know, the start was rough since he had never had any formal training as a child. It’s a lot easier to learn about from infancy than it is as an adult. I’m impressed he’s come this far already.”

“At least one of us can learn it.” Ed kept the bitterness out of his voice lest Ling would get the wrong impression and mistake it for jealously instead of frustration. “Don’t think it’s possible for me to pick it up at this point.”

“Have you tried?” Ling curiously asked, keeping his eyes straight ahead. “I know you’ve mentioned before that since you’ve lost your alchemy, you didn’t think you could do it, but I don’t have alchemy or alkahestry, and I can feel chi just fine.”

“I don’t know.” Ed shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “I have tried to learn, but it feels like something’s blocked. Maybe it’s me and nothing else. Maybe I’m doing it wrong.”

“With your focus, I’m surprised.” Ling raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Ed. “I had thought if anyone from Amestris could do it, it would be you.” 

Ed didn’t say any more on the matter. He didn’t want to get into all the time he had spent a couple years ago trying to learn how to read chi and never getting anywhere. Mei had spent time with him and Al only to result in nothing. Even though Ling didn’t know or practice alkahestry, he still had a gate so in theory he could learn if he tried. At least the basics. Ed’s gate was gone, and he had a feeling that had something to do with his inability to read chi. At least that was the only thing he could think of other than he somehow lacked in that department. 

“So, what brings you here?” Ling turned the corner that led to another long hallway. 

Ed felt grateful he usually didn’t have to navigate the palace alone. With all the twists and turn, he felt certain he would often get lost. 

“Hurt my leg while out west, and I’m supposed to take it easy for awhile until it heals.” Ed stopped and twisted his left leg out so he could point to his injury. 

“Never known you to follow a doctors orders so closely before.” Ling bent forward and looked at Ed’s leg even though the injury was covered by his pants. 

“Knox isn’t the type of doctor you can ignore easily. And Mustang insisted on it too.” Ed saw the look of surprise Ling directed towards him and figured he’d head off any questions. “Yeah, I ran into him right after a bullet passed through my leg. Or more accurately, he ran into me. Sort of.”

“Sort of? Interesting.” Ling stood up and resumed walking with Ed falling in step with him. “So you’ve visited with the General recently. How did that go? It all sounds very awkward.”

“It went alright. Would have gone a lot better in different circumstances. Wasn’t really a visit. More like an accidental run in,” Ed summed up, not wanting to open any new questions for Ling. “I offered to become and informant for him.”

“An informant?” Ling slowed down but didn’t stop this time. “I don’t have anything to worry about do I?”

“Nah, I wouldn’t spy on you no matter who asked, and Mustang trusts you too much to send someone out here for that. We both do.” Ed looked over his shoulder at the guards. He knew they were probably paying close attention to the conversation and wondered what they were thinking. He turned his attention back to Ling. “But out west, that’s different matter all together. There had been plans to assassinate him.”

“Is that why you offered?” Ling couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the thought of Ed’s antics. “That’s a bold move on your part.”

Ed shrugged off the implication. The less Ling knew the less material he had to tease with. “Not really. Makes a lot of sense to me. And besides, it’ll keep me from getting restless.”

Ling laughed at that. “I have a hard time believing all your research made you restless.”

“Stranger things have happened,” Ed said, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. 

“Indeed.” Ling kept up a brisk pace as they headed towards the guest rooms. “We’ve both seen some strange things, though not so much anymore.” Sighing, he turned to Ed. “To be honest, there are times when I feel bored. I know that’s not the right attitude, and I should feel grateful for all I do have. Even after all these years, there are moments when I feel empty without Greed around.”

“He would have been happy to know you’re emperor. Smug and sarcastic about it, but deep down, happy nonetheless.” Ed smiled when he thought about how Greed would react to Ling ruling an entire country. “It’s strange because out of all the homunculus, I always thought Greed would be the one to make it since he lived with humans so well.” 

“Life has a funny way of proving otherwise.” Ling’s voice held an underlying sadness to it that both he and Ed knew would always be there when Greed came up in conversation. “I like to think that those were the very qualities that caused his death. If he had decided to not help us, he could have survived.”

“True, though there was the added bonus of potentially stealing Father’s powers that kept him close by,” Ed pointed out, reminding them both that even though Greed fought by their side, he had had an ulterior motive from the beginning. 

“Sometimes when I’m alone I imagine what my life would be like if he had stuck around,” Ling mused at how so few memories had changed his life forever. “He had a certain fondness for you. Always said you had so much energy contained in such a small form. I think that was part of the reason why he teased you so much. Wanted to see you explode and how much damage you could do even though you were so short then.”

“Hey, I’m not small anymore. You’ve always been tall.” Ed never understood how Ling grew so damn much. He had originally thought Ling would stop growing earlier than him but that never happened. “Did I tell you I’m almost as tall as Mustang?”

“No, but I’m not surprised. He’s not a big man either,” Ling said with a certain amount of smugness in his voice. “I’m pretty sure I was taller than him at fifteen.”

“Heh, I guess not. When I was a kid, he always seemed so tall and imposing even though a lot of other guys we knew were taller than him.” Ed always wondered how Mustang managed to make himself look bigger and more imposing than what he really was. However Roy managed it, it always worked in his favor. “Still, it’s nice being able to look him in the eye.”

“So you are still pursuing General Mustang.” Ling gave Ed a side-long glance from the corner of his eyes. 

“What if I am?” Ed returned the look, unwilling to look behind him to see which guards were intently eavesdropping. 

“Oh nothing.” Ling coughed and tried to hide his smile with his hand. “Personally, I think it’s cute.”

“There is nothing about me that’s cute.” Ed pouted a little at that statement. Cute reminded him of small children and animals. Not something a grown man should aspire to be. “I’m… manly. Cute is too childlike.”

“Whatever you say, Ed,” Ling said, clearly humoring Ed. “I think it’ll be fun to see where it leads.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ed suspiciously asked. 

“Oh, nothing.” Ling turned the corner and led them through a smaller hallway. If Ed remembered correctly, they were close to where his room was. 

“So, how long will Al be gone for?” Ed decided to change the subject. If not, Ling would end up driving him crazy. 

“Only a week,” Ling replied. “You’ll get to see him soon enough.”

“Good because I got a ton of crap to give him.” Ed had stuffed his suitcase full of notes and research that he couldn’t wait to give to his brother and see what came of it. “Dunno if it will be of much help, though since not too many people in the west practice alchemy.”

“Weren’t you in Aerugo for awhile?” Ling inquired. 

“Yeah and they have a really interesting customs there.” And that was putting it mildly, but Ed didn’t think it’d be appropriate to explain some of those customs while other people were around, even if they were only Ling’s personal guards. “But we’ve met up since then so he has all that. I think that maybe, it’s almost done. The research, you know. Feels weird to think about.”

“I would think there would always be something new to learn,” Ling calmly remarked. “Perhaps it’s you. Maybe you’re getting tired of doing the same thing for the past few years.”

“Yeah, I dunno. Maybe.” Ed agreed that he could always find new information, but that didn’t mean he would feel fulfilled. Something felt like it was missing from his life; he needed a new change of pace. “Not that I don’t want to help Al out, you know, but it feels like I’m not giving him much of anything he already doesn’t know or couldn’t figure out on his own.”

“Well, now, there’s no need to sound so depressing. You’ll be gathering information for General Mustang so that should keep you busy enough.” Ling looked down at Ed and smiled brightly, hoping to dispel the negative energy around them. 

“Sure, it’ll be something new and different,” Ed admitted. That was definitely something he looked forward to doing. “I wonder if Al will mind coming back with me for awhile.”

“I don’t see why not.” Ling slowed down when they reached the end of the hall and moved across a small open room, towards where Ed would stay. “I’m sure he could use a breather from his learning.” 

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. We Elrics tend to devour knowledge instead of taking vacations.” Ed wanted Al to go with him back to Central. If the one note Roy left was any indication, he would need a capable alchemist with him. There was no one he trusted more than Al to work with him. 

“That is true. The two of you enjoy pushing yourself to your limit and then you push some more.” Ling stopped when they reached one of the guest quarters. 

“There’s no sense in committing to something if you’re not gonna to try, even if that means pushing limits.” Ed stopped short of opening the door to his room when he spotted Mei and Al walk around the corner at the end of the hall. “Hey, Al!” He turned back and walked faster, excited to see his brother when he hadn’t been expecting it. “What’re you doing here? I heard you would be away for a week.”

“Brother!” They met halfway, and Al pulled Ed into a hug. “I got your message so we decided to come back early.”

Ed turned to Mei, who was dressed in a simple rose-colored robe adored with a pattern of lavender flowers. He bowed politely before standing back up. “How are you, Mei.”

“I’m well.” Mei folded her hands together and bowed back. “Thank you for asking.”

“I’ve got to go, Ed, but if you need anything, I’ll leave a few servants nearby for you.” Ling bowed and then turned to Al and Mei. “Alphonse, Mei, it’s always a pleasure to see you both.” 

“I’m going to go back to the gardens and meditate.” Mei briefly rested her hand on Al's shoulder. “Alphonse, join me later if you have the time.”

Ed watched them both part ways. From the look on Al’s face as he watched Mei, Ed had a feeling it wouldn’t be too long before the two were married. They walked back to his room. He opened up the door and stepped inside. 

Ling always had the same room ready for Ed when he visited. Sometimes he didn’t know whether to feel disappointed that it had been kept in the same order as it was last time or to feel grateful that Ling had attempted to make him feel more at home. The colors, furniture, and bedding looked like it did that last time. Deep red blankets and pillows on the bed. The two antique familiar dressers and the armoire. There was even a book lying open on the table next to the window, exactly how he had left it. 

“What does your room look like?” Ed turned and looked at Al.

“I don’t live in the palace, brother so it’s a lot simpler than this.” Al closed the door, walked over to the closest dresser, and leaned against it.

“But doesn’t Ling own the property you live on?” Ed took his coat off and tossed it onto the bed. 

“Ling technically owns everything in Xing.” Al’s mouth twitched like he was holding back a smile. “But yes, it’s on palace grounds. And it’s nice. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. This place never changes. It’s exactly the same since the last time I was here.” Ed glanced around the room again. “Doesn’t that seem… weird to you?”

“No. Why would they change the guest rooms?” Al’s fingers ran along the smooth wooden surface of the dresser until they bumped into a delicate looking vase. “Besides, this set up is very traditional. You’re lucky to get the same one all the time. It’s a lot bigger than what most people would receive.”

“Ah so it is a compliment.” Ed had figured it was either Ling’s way of making him feel more at home or some odd Xingese humor. “Can never be sure if Ling’s being nice or messing with me.”

“Brother…” Al pushed himself off the dresser and walked to the middle of the room until he stood close to Ed. “The Emperor does care about you.”

“Of course he does but that doesn’t mean he’s not gonna mess with me.” Ed felt his reasoning was sound enough given his experience with Ling. 

“You have weird relationships with everyone.” Al laughed and slipped off his shoes. Sometimes he honestly wondered how Ed managed to make so many friends and not realize how different it was from other people’s friendships. 

“I like to think it keeps things fun and interesting that way.” Ed grinned while he stretched out his leg. 

“How long are you planning to visit?” Al flopped down on the bed and gave Ed an expectant look. 

“About a month.” Ed set his suitcase down next the small table near the window. “Doctor Knox said I should relax and take some time off. Mustang seemed to be all too happy to make sure that happens.”

“You visited with the General?” Al leaned up on his elbows and rested his chin in his hands. His feet swung up and down, lightly hitting the mattress each time. 

Ed pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it onto the sitting chair that was situated at the table. “Yeap, I saw him alright. He’s sort of the reason why I got shot.”

“You got shot?” Al narrowed his eyes at Ed. “You didn’t mention that in your letter.”

“Relax. It’s no big deal. I didn’t say anything about it because it would only worry you.” Ed glanced back at Al. “It’s fine. Knox patched it up.” He toed his shoes off and pushed them out of the way. “Oh, and I had Roy use that array we both worked on. The one for wounds.”

“And,” Al turned his hand over for Ed to continue. “How’d it work out?”

“It worked okay. Did its job, you know.” Ed turned the water on to the basin. “Knox had to reopen it back up because it started to get infected, but that probably had more to do with the environment than anything else. If we keep working on it I think it will be really useful.”

“Mei seems to think something like that would be really useful for the military in Amestris.” Al picked at the blanket on the bed. “It would help with wounded soldiers.”

“It’ll be useful for everyone.” Ed began unbuttoning his pants. He needed to clean his leg along with the rest of him. 

“So what did you do with the General?” Al asked with curiosity in his voice. 

Ed folded his pants neatly so they wouldn’t wrinkle and set them on the chest that sat at the foot of the bed. “You can call him Roy. It’s not like we’re still working for the military.”

“Brother, don’t be disrespectful.” Al scowled at him with the usual look of disappointment he gave Ed when he said something that would be considered by some to be impolite. “That’s a title he’s worked hard to gain. It feels weird calling him by his first name.”

“You’re making too much of it, Al. He doesn’t expect non military personal to be so formal.” Ed turned his head to look at Al and shrugged. “But suit yourself.”

Al watched Ed stoop over and frowned. “What’re you doing?”

“I’m going to clean my stitches like Knox told me to so that it doesn’t get infected again.” Ed peeled the bandage back and slowly unwound it from around his calf.

“You never answered my question.” Al slid off the bed and stood up. He stretched his arms over his head before going over to Ed. 

“Which one was that? You ask so many sometimes it’s hard to keep up.” Ed finished unwrapping his leg and set the bandages aside. The skin around the stitches was an odd pinkish color and pulled up, but Knox had said it would look like that until it healed and the stitches came out. 

“You’re awfully sassy today.” Al bent down to get a closer look at Ed’s leg. “How’d it go with the General?” 

“There’s nothing much to tell,” Ed turned off the water when it filled up halfway, “except that I offered him a deal to be an informant.”

“Here let me help you.” Al picked up a wash cloth and wet it. “And the General, he’s okay with that?”

“Yeah. Of course there are conditions.” Ed knew why Al had his reservations, and it warmed him that his little brother occasionally felt the need to look out for him. “But by the end, he agreed and seemed to think it was a good idea.”

“That may stall your research,” Al calmly pointed out. “Are _you_ okay with that?”

“We both know I could stop now if I wanted to.” Ed stepped into the tub still wearing his boxers and dangled his left leg out of it. “There’s always more to learn and see, but at what point does it feel empty and like it’s not enough? I think I’ve reached that point.”

“Do you want to stop?” Al began to gently clean around Ed’s stitches. “Brother, if you don’t want to do it then you shouldn’t.”

Ed looked down and his eyes met with Al’s. “It’s not that I don’t want to do it. More like, I feel like something else is missing in my life. With this arrangement, I can still research what I want, but I’ll also have something else.”

“After you leave here, do you know where you’ll be going next?” Al stopped moving the cloth for a moment before wringing it out in the basin.

“Roy slipped some notes into my coat while I was in the hospital. Sneaky bastard did without me noticing too.” Ed stooped over and gripped the edge of the basin so that he could keep his balance. “I’ll be heading north.”

“For what?” Al finished cleaning around the stitches so he dipped to cloth back into the water and wrung it out again. 

“No clue. I’m supposed to go to Central first and meet up with him.” Ed winced when the cotton first touched his stitches. “You could come with me.”

“Would it be alright if I went?” The last thing Al wanted to do was ruin this for Ed. He needed to make sure General Mustang would be okay with it. 

“He also mentioned that I should bring an alchemist with me.” Ed wobbled again before steadying himself out. “I’d rather take you than someone I don’t know.”

“Just make sure you hold yourself steady so you don’t fall.” Al finished up and then handed to cloth to Ed. “That should be good. You can get the rest, right?” 

“Yeah, I got the rest.” Ed set the cloth down on the edge of the basin. “So, you’ll go with me?”

Al nodded. “I’ll go with you. If the General told you to bring an alchemist then you’re going to need one.”

“Good.” Ed set his left leg down onto the floor. “I’ll be a bit if you want to go see Mei. We can meet up for dinner.”

“Sure. Would you like to visit where I’m staying?” Al stood up, gave Ed one last look, and headed towards the door. 

“Sounds good. Come back for me when you’re done with Mei,” Ed called over his shoulder. 

Once Al left, he took off his boxers. Ed quickly finished washing himself and then pulled the plug to drain the water. Grabbing a towel, he dried himself off and then put it over his hair. Al would probably be awhile so he decided to get some reading in while his hair dried. 

He went over to his suitcase and pulled out some clothes and fresh bandages. After getting his leg taken care of and dressing, Ed grabbed the old book Ling had given him years ago. The book hadn’t been touched in awhile even though there were moments when he would open it up and skim through it. His journal always had more interesting things in them. Thoughts that he probably would have forgotten if not written down. Little things that time could never replace, that got lost in the stream of reality. 

But he could no longer stale. If he planned on, at some point, to start some sort of relationship with Roy, he needed to actually do it. The incident in Creta provided the perfect opportunity for him to figure out if any of this was feasible. Having Al with him would help. His brother could claim no involvement all he wanted, but Ed fully intended to squeeze some information out of him. 

Ed ran his fingers down the edge of the book and began to read. In a month, they would leave for Central, and officially, he would begin another page in his life as an informant. 

 

~*~

“What do you plan to do next?” Al sat down next to Ed and pulled his suitcase into his lap. This was the second train they had been on in a twenty-four-hour period and both of them felt tired and stiff. 

Ed settled into his seat. It was hard to believe a month had passed already. His visit in Xing had gone by so quickly, but now that his leg had healed, he had no reason to stay. “Before I left, Mustang gave me an address. I’m thinking that maybe we should go there before bothering him at his office.” 

“Where’s the address lead to?” Al leaned back into the seat and rested his head against the back of it. 

“A bar in Central.” Ed set his suitcase flat on the seat next him. “I guess, apparently,” he frowned while he tried to think about on what Roy had told him. “His mother works there or goes there, owns it. I’m not sure. Can’t remember exactly.”

“You’re going to meet his mother?” Al giggled, which earned him a light punch in the arm from Ed. 

“Yeah, so what if I am.” Ed shot Al glare and secretly bemoaned the fact that it never worked on his brother like it did with other people. “It’s not like I’m going over to his mother’s house for dinner or anything. This is to exchange information and nothing else.”

“Mhm, I bet it is,” Al said, his voice still laced with humor. “You won’t even try to get any other information out of her, I’m sure.” 

“You’re getting more and more blatant with your sarcasm, Al.” Ed hunched up into a defensive position. He knew how far Al could take the poking and prodding and needed to brace himself for it. “And hey, if some other stuff comes up in conversation, I’m not going to complain, but it’s not like I’m gonna ask about what he was like as a little kid or anything. I doubt will speak to her much if Roy shows up.”

“I wonder what’s she’s like?” Al chirped with an enthusiasm that Ed could never manage on the best of days. “If he looks like her or has the same personality?”

“Dunno. Haven’t met her yet.” Ed put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. Maybe if he pretended like he wanted to sleep, Al would drop it. 

“I know that, brother.” Al rolled his eyes. “Still, I’m curious. And I get to go with you all the way to Briggs?”

“I don’t see why not.” Ed cracked open and eye. Reaching down, he pulled out the letter from his coat pocket. “He did suggest I bring an alchemist with me but left it open. I picked you so it’ll have to be good enough. Trust you more than anyone he could send with me.”

“What will we be doing at Briggs?” Al innocently asked with that wide-eyed look on his face. 

“For shit’s sake, Al. Dunno yet. Won’t know until we get the rest of it.” Ed jammed the letter back in his coat and closed his eyes again. He had been through this a few times already. Al knew he didn’t have any extra information, and Ed knew this was his payback for not answering questions about Roy earlier. “Now let me sleep.” 

“You’re no fun. And you always want to sleep on trains.” Al leaned over and poked Ed in the side with his finger. “I’m going to get bored. And it’s six already. You go to sleep now, and you’ll never be able to sleep tonight.”

“Can’t you read something?” Ed blew out an exasperated breath but gave up on taking a quick cat nap. Al had no intentions of leaving him alone.

“I could, but it’s not as fun as picking your brain for information or seeing you get riled up over something small.” Al moved his suitcase off his lap and onto the floor so that it rested between his legs. “Besides, this will only take a half hour.”

“Fine, I’ll stay awake.” Ed mainly slept on trains either from exhaustion or sheer boredom. Or sometimes to avoid talking to certain people about certain General bastards. A month of Al’s poking and prodding had been enough to make him want to scream. “What do you wanna do?”

“We could play chess,” Al suggested brightly. “I brought that little fold up travel set the General gave me a few years back.”

“Not in the mood for chess.” Ed cracked his neck twice and rolled his shoulders. “Too distracted for it right now and it’ll take too long.”

“That’s all the more reason why you should try.” Al opened his suitcase and pulled out a small box. “Maybe it will help you to relax and think about something else.”

“Fine, whatever, we’ll play chess.” Ed turned towards Al. He pulled his left leg up onto the seat and tucked it under his right so that he would be able to see the chess board without putting a kink in his neck. “But the game isn’t going to be over by the time we reach Central. I’m not gonna try to remember where all the pieces were so we can finish it later.”

Al scooted down so he could set up the board between them. Ed watched as the pieces were put into place one by one. Once Al finished, they both looked at the board to prepare their moves. 

“Who should go first?” Ed felt the train shift and the board teetered and slid towards him a little. 

“You can go first if you want.” Al steadied out the chess board so that it was sat flat on the seat and wouldn’t move around. 

“Doesn’t the white set usually start?” Ed rested his left arm on the back of the seat and leaned forward so he could focus better. 

“It doesn’t matter, brother. Take your turn.” Al heaved a heavy sigh when Ed did nothing. “Fine, I’ll start then.”

Al looked at the chess board intently before making his first move. After a long, frustrated grunt from Ed, he moved his pawn to E 4 on the board. “Do you think the trip to Briggs will be short?” 

“I’m hoping it doesn’t take too long. With Havoc’s wedding coming up, it’d be nice to go. But, eh, it’s not like we’ll really know until we get there.” Ed started his offensive and moved one of his pawns on D 6. He had a feeling he knew what Al planned to do but it was still too early to tell. 

“I’d like to go to the wedding too. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen everyone.” Al furrowed his brows while he concentrated on his next move. Eventually, he settled on moving a pawn to D 4. “And you’re right. I guess we’ll know better once we actually find out what we’ll be doing.”

“I’m sure once we get up there, things will turn out differently than expected. There’s no such thing as the perfect plan or an operation that goes so smoothly without problems coming up.” Ed moved his knight to F 6. Al would try to castle his queen if he was reading the board correctly. 

Al tapped his fingers against the seat and then moved his knight onto C 3. “True, but still, on the train ride to Briggs, we should focus on a plan so that we’re as prepared as possible.”

“We won’t leave till tomorrow night so we’ll have plenty of time to go over everything and get it worked out.” Ed took Al’s Bishop with his own when he felt the train start to slow down. He felt a small amount of disappointment that the game had barely started. “Looks like we’re here. I guess that’s it then.”

“Fine. I won’t mark our places if you’re going to be like _that_ about it.” Al scooped up the pieces, put them back into the case, closed it up, and then stuffed it in his suitcase. 

“We’re not gonna have time to do it anyway.” Once the train came to a complete stop, Ed didn’t move to stand yet. He always liked to wait until the initial rush of people toddled off the train. 

Finally, when they were the last of the people in the car, they stood and moved towards the exit. When Ed stepped off the train, he took in a deep breath and enjoyed the view of the Central train station. They walked down the few steps from the train and onto the walkway. 

Ed pushed through the hordes of people coming and going, making sure that he and Al didn’t get separated. Once they made it out of the station and onto the regular sidewalk, he immediately felt relieved. The address to the bar wasn’t too far from here, and should only take them about twenty minutes to get to. 

Neither of them said anything and soon enough, Ed saw the street sign for Elm Street so he tugged on Al and they headed down towards a string of bars and small shops. Finally they reached a bar that had five hundred and twenty written next to the door. 

Al pushed open the door to the bar, which oddly enough only had a sign in front of it that read _Bar_. He and held it open until Ed came through. The inside smelled of cigarette smoke and perfume. The lights were dimmed, but from what he could make out, it looked cleaned and tastefully decorated. 

The counter had a dark finish to it and the stools were topped with deep red cushions. Booths lined along the far wall. There were a few small tables in the middle. The walls were done in a deep red like the seat cushions, and a few paintings hung on them. A small group of women sat off to the side of the door at one of the tables and booths. They were all dressed up with their hair done. It reminded Ed of that one place he visited in Creta where the military men would come in, pick up women, and then take them to a hotel. 

For a moment, he thought Roy had given him the wrong address until he heard someone call out the name Vanessa. Al gave him a strange look like had thought the same thing. Only… then something clicked. Or at least he thought it did. It made all started to make sense in its own strange way. If the women here were for that purpose, they would have the opportunity to gather information most wouldn’t have access to. 

Ed nodded to Al and they walked up the bar and sat down on the stools. The older woman behind the bar had to be Madame Christmas. She fit the description well enough: dark hair, larger build. She smoked. Still Ed looked her over closely a few times. Odd. He had expected to see more of a family resemblance. Roy must take after his father. 

“Something wrong, kid?” Madame Christmas asked after taking a long drag off her cigarette. 

“No. It’s nothing.” Ed gave her a once over again to see if he missed something the first time around. “It’s just that, you two look nothing alike.”

A look of realization came into her eyes. Her lips tilted up into a smile. “Roy-boy looks a lot like his mother.” 

“Come again?” Ed wasn’t sure where to begin. On one hand, it greatly amused him that someone out there would call Mustang Roy-boy, but on the other, what she said after only confused him more. 

“I’ve raised him, but I’m not his mother by blood.” Madame Christmas picked up a beer glass and started to polish it with a towel. “My brother and sister-in-law died when he was too young to remember much of them.”

“Ah, I see.” It sort of made sense to Ed. Mustang had never told him that he had lost both his parents at a young age. Then again, he had never bothered to ask. He stuck out his hand, “Edward Elric and this is my brother Alphonse.”

“Chris Mustang.” She shook his hand and smiled only it looked more like a shit-eating grin to Ed. That look was definitely familiar to him. “But everyone calls me Madame Christmas.”

“It’s a pleasure.” Al reached out and shook her hand too. “I’ve been curious to meet the person responsible for raising the General.”

“Al,” Ed nudged his brother with his elbow. “Don’t make such a big deal about it.”

Madame Christmas laughed the kind of laugh that started deep within the belly, making both Ed and Al grin. “You two are alright. What can I get you boys?” 

“I’ll have a glass of ale, please,” Al answered politely. 

“I don’t drink much so got any recommendations?” Ed wasn’t in the mood for ale or beer, but he almost never ordered fancy drinks when he did occasionally find himself in a bar. 

“What are you looking to do tonight?” Madame Christmas set the beer glass down onto the counter. “Do you need to forget, be able to walk out of here straight, or do you just want something to put in front of you?”

“No, nothing like that.” The last thing Ed needed was to get plastered tonight, especially if Roy showed up. He had no idea what he would try to do then. “Something that tastes decent but won’t kill any brain cells. Yeah, the last one you said sounds good.”

The way she smiled at him made a small chill go up his back. It was the kind of smile that said, ‘kid you don’t know what you’re asking for.’ Ed wasn’t so sure if he’d get what he asked for, but he decided to go with it. If Roy trusted her then that meant he should be able to as well. It eerily reminded him of how Mustang would sometimes smile before he was about to do something incredibly shit-headed to rile him up. Ed made a small grunting noise but said nothing else. 

“There’s a booth near the back.” Madame Christmas pointed to the far end of the room to a booth partially covered by two large plants on each end of it. “It’s out of the way and quiet. I can have one of my girls bring your drinks to you. Wait there and you’ll get what you need.” She turned towards the woman and called out, “Vanessa, I need you over here.”

A slender brunette stood up and smoothed out her skirt. Her haired was pinned back into a neat half ponytail. She smiled brightly as she walked up to the bar. “Do these gentlemen need something?”

“No, I’m going to make their drinks and have you bring it to them at the far booth.” Madame Christmas waved the two of them away. 

Ed went to stand up but Al beat him to it and slid off the stool first. He could only assume that she had told them about the booth for a reason other than a general recommendation. So he followed his brother across the bar until the reached the partially hidden area. 

Ed sat down at the booth and Al took the opposite side. The seat felt soft and comfortable so he slouched down into it. They were instructed to wait but for how long? When they got off the train, there hadn’t been time to call Mustang and find out any more information, and besides, Ed didn’t want to call him at work unless absolutely necessary. 

“Here you go.” Vanessa set the drinks they ordered on the table. She smiled at them both before sauntering away. 

“This isn’t what I expected.” Ed took a sip of his drink and winced. While it didn’t taste overly strong, it definitely had a bite to it. “Everyone seems so nice but no one has really said anything.” He leaned in towards the table and whispered only loud enough for Al to hear him. “I’m pretty sure all these woman are working for him too.”

“They may not be certain why you’re here,” Al logically pointed out. “Plus, they’ve been doing this for years. It’s going to take time to gain all their trust and get to know them” 

Before he could respond to that, Ed heard the door to the bar open and recognized Roy’s voice. He glanced at Al, who nodded back at him while they waited. Ed heard a string of giggles and conversation said too low to make anything out. Then the sound of footsteps drew closer. But he could smell him even before seeing Roy. 

“Fancy meeting you here.” Ed looked up. Roy stood next to their booth, dressed in a dark suit with his black jacket. In his hand, he held what looked like a glass of water. He pulled a chair from another table and sat down on the end. “Alphonse, it’s a pleasure as well, though I’m not surprised to see you with Ed.”

“Hello, General.” Al set down his ale and smiled. “It’s good to see you too.”

At first Ed wasn’t sure why Roy had sat at the end of the table instead of next to him or Al. Then it hit him. From that angle, Mustang would be able to watch for any facial cues. Smart maneuver and probably something he did without even thinking about. Ed took another swig of his drink before setting it back down on the table. A moment of silence passed between them so he cleared his throat, deciding he would start off the conversation. 

“Are all those women,” Ed gestured towards the bar. “you know?”

“Yes, they are.” Roy reached into his coat and pulled out a thin folder. He slid it across the table to Ed. “So, what have the two of you been doing recently?”

“We haven’t been up to much.” Ed opened the folder and looked at the top piece of paper. “Went to Xing for awhile to visit Al while me leg healed up. Mostly messed around and had fun.”

Roy turned to Al and they started quietly catching up. Ed tuned them out and started reading what Roy had written. 

_A while ago Xing started basic trade with Drachma. During one of my visits there, I heard a rumor that there were some dissidents interested in engaging in peace talks with Amestris. Han handed me some information that he thought I would be interested in. After looking over it carefully, I decided this could be the chance I’ve been looking for to open political relations with Drachma._

_I’ve been slowly making progress with this, but now it’s time to send someone to Drachma to meet with one of the parties interested. I can no longer afford to keep passing messages back and forth without having someone speak directly to them on my behalf. I've already made arrangements, and a woman who goes by the name of Arctic Cobra will be waiting for you in Drachma._

_I'm giving you explicit permission to judge her character and intentions. Also, if you feel at any time the meeting is a set up, I want you to get out of there. I don’t have to tell you going there will be dangerous, which is why I left notes for you to bring an alchemist along, hopefully Alphonse. I’ll need you to leave for Briggs as soon as possible. I’ve already sent a message to General Armstrong to expect you, but she will probably detain you for questions. If she does, answer her to the best of your ability, but please don’t say anything about what I’ve been doing or even allude to it._

_The less people who know right now, the better. I'm giving you absolute authority to act how you see fit on this mission. How long you stay and when you leave will be up to you. If for any reason you want to back out, I won't hold it against you._

Looking, up, Ed noticed that both Al and Roy were watching him. He slid the paper across the table so Al could read it. “That's nice an all, but we didn't need an entire rundown of what you've been up to for the past month.”

“Some people like to have nice and polite conversation with each other, brother.” Al frowned as he read through the document. “You should be more respectful to the General.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Ed started looking through the rest of the folder. Names and places he didn't recognize were listed. It would probably take him and Al most of the night to sort it all out.

“How is everyone else doing?” Ed heard Al ask Roy. Only his brother could ask questions while reading and manage to keep up.

“Fine, they’re all doing well,” Roy answered pleasantly. 

Ed heard soft tapping sound and his eyes followed it to Roy’s fingers gracefully moving against the table top. Something that always amazed him about Mustang was how someone with large masculine hands could use them so elegantly. The way they moved up and down mesmerized him. Ed could think of many other uses for those hands. 

Al kicked Ed in the shin, hard. When he looked up, his brother was giving him a look that told him to stop doing whatever he was doing. It took him a moment to recover without making a sound. When he glanced over at Mustang, he was watching both of them carefully but said nothing. Ed waited for someone to break the silence so he wouldn’t feel so damn awkward. He had not only been caught staring by his brother, but Roy had noticed too. When nothing happened, he glanced at Roy then back to Al. Apparently, they were done? He wasn’t sure. 

“I think we’re all caught up on everyone’s lives.” Ed pulled his coat off the seat and slid into it. “That’s about all I can take in a night.”

“Where are you staying while in Central?” Roy folded his hands in front of him and smiled. 

“Dunno yet.” Ed glanced up before tucking the folder into his suitcase. “We'll probably pick the first hotel we see and call it a night.” 

“I could give you both a ride if you'd like.” Roy pulled money out from his wallet and laid it down on the table. “It is getting late so I should head out as well.” 

Ed wasn’t sure he wanted to ride in the same car as Roy. Not when he smelled so damn good. “Thank you for the offer but—”

Al kicked Ed's shin again in the same exact spot. “That would be wonderful. Thank you for the offer. Maybe you could suggest a place to stay?”

Roy stood up and pushed the chair back to the table he took it from. “I'd be delighted, Alphonse.”

Ed was suspicious of Al’s intentions or maybe he really didn't want to walk aimlessly around this time of night. Knowing his brother, it was probably a little of both. They left the bar, and only then did he realize they hadn’t paid for their drinks. All that money Mustang had put down must have been to cover all of them. He would have to pick up the tab next time.

Roy walked to his car, which was parked along the street outside the bar. It was the same car he had since the last time he had given them both a ride. Only Al was still a suit of armor and Ed had had so many other things to worry about that he never really took the time to look and appreciate how classy it looked. 

When he opened the door, the first thing Ed noticed was how much it smelled like Roy. Whatever Mustang used to wash himself, he couldn’t get enough of it. The inside was neat and clean and didn’t have any extra decorations added to it. 

Ed slid into the passenger seat and pulled the seatbelt over his shoulder. “So, uh, was that place bugged?” He jerked his thumb back in the direction of the bar. “That why we didn’t say anything out loud?”

Roy buckled himself in and turned to Ed. “No. I had it checked out already but the Lieutenant Colonel suggested I do it discretely to see if you and I would be to communicate that way.” 

“How'd we do?” Ed asked, curious to know how they measured up in comparison to what Mustang was used to. 

“Fantastically. I had no doubt either of you could handle it.” Roy smiled and put the keys in the ignition. “You're both incredibly smart and catch on quick.”

“You're too kind, General.” Al piped in from the back.

“Ed, reach under your seat.” Roy took his hand off the steering wheel for a moment and pointed to the floor near Ed’s feet. “There is a bag there that has more information and fake identities for the two of you.” 

Leaning forward, Ed felt under the seat and immediately found what Roy had left for him. He pulled out the bag when the engine started. Roy pulled the car onto the road while Ed looked inside it to see what was all in there. There were papers tied together by bands and a couple ID cards along with a few other odds and ends that he would have to check out later. 

“Jonathon Thick?” Ed scrunched up his face and looked at Roy, holding his fake ID in his hand. “You couldn’t do any better? That’s a terrible name.”

“It’s not that bad.” Al lightly hit the back of Ed’s seat with his hand. 

“Oh, really? I guess I’d rather have Jonathon than Rufus.” He picked up the other ID card and laughed. Ed looked back at Al and waved it in front of his face. “That’s going to be your name. Rufus Thick.”

“I can think of worse.” Al folded his arms over his chest and stared Ed down in a way that only he could manage. “At least he’s keeping us related and they’re nothing like our real names.”

“It would hard to not keep you two related. I don’t know of anyone else who has your hair and eye color.” Roy slowed down and turned right. “I doubt it’s common in Drachma either.”

“You knew I’d bring Al before we even got here.” Ed looked out the window and smiled. 

“Who else would you bring?” Roy glanced over at him. 

“He’s got a point, brother,” Al chimed in. 

“Oh, stuff it, Al.” Ed looked back at his brother through the side mirror. 

“If for some reason, either of you need to contact me, I also put in code names for you both,” Roy began, swiftly changing the subject. “If anyone from the office gets a call from either of those, they’ll know right away to have me contact you from and outside line. Make sure to leave them a number from wherever you’re calling from.”

Code names. Interesting. That was something Ed had to see. He opened the bag back up and dug around until he found what he was looking for. “Red Snake and you’re Desert Fox, Al. Those aren’t too bad. Better than our identities. You sure we can’t go with these instead?” 

“Only use them if you need to send me a message,” Roy reiterated in a serious tone of voice. 

“Okay, okay. I got it.” Ed pushed the fun idea of using code names while up north out of his head no matter how entertaining it seemed. 

“West Central Inn.” Roy pulled over to side of the curb. He kept the engine running and turned to Ed. “You’ll find it comfortable here.”

“It looks nice but,” Ed looked up at the tall building from inside the car. There was no way he and Al could afford to stay at a place like this. “I don’t think—”

Roy pulled a small envelope out of the glove compartment. “This is for you and Al.”

Ed opened it up and almost dropped it on the floor. The idea that Mustang would actually pay him never occurred to Ed. It wasn’t something they had discussed either. The amount inside would probably cover them until they got back from the north. Frowning, he tried to hand the envelope back to Roy. “Thanks but you don’t have to pay me.”

“I pay all my informants.” Roy pushed the envelope back into Ed’s hands. “This is no different. You’re doing me a huge favor by going to Drachma. The least I can do is pay for your expenses while you’re there.” 

“Thank you.” Al leaned forward and again asserted himself before Ed could protest. 

Looking down, Ed realized that his fingers were on Roy’s hand, but instead of moving it away, he took in the feel of the slightly callused skin against his own. Those hands felt so gentle, yet he knew how dangerous they could be. He had seen the damage Roy could do with them. 

“Edward?” Roy’s voice held a note of concern in it. He pulled his hand back and put it on the steering wheel. “Is everything okay?”

Ed snapped out of his daze and looked up at Roy with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Yeah. Everything… is fine.”

“We should go so we can prepare for our trip.” Al leaned up so that his head rested on the back of Ed’s seat. “Come on, brother.”

“Sure, okay.” Ed opened the car door, but before he got out, he turned to Roy. “See you around.” 

Al said his goodbyes too, got out, and waited. Ed stepped out of the car, waved to Roy, and then closed the door. He watched the car speed down the road and disappear around a corner. It was now dark out, and the air had grown chilly. Glancing at his watch, it read a quarter after eight. “Well, s’pose we should check in.”

“Your hand lingered a little too long not to seem suspicious.” Al pulled his suitcase closer against his body and started walking. “And you stared too much at the bar.”

“I did not. And no it didn’t.” Ed bumped shoulders with Al as they headed towards the hotel. “It could have stayed a lot longer.”

“If you keep that up, he’ll figure it out.” Al nudged him back. “The General is a smart man.”

“So what if he does. Maybe that’ll make things easier.” Ed stopped when they stood a few feet from the inn. “You got to spend time with both of us tonight. Did you notice anything?”

“Did I notice what? The way you made puppy-dog eyes at the General all night.” Al put his hand over his mouth and snickered. “Sure I noticed. It was quite amusing.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Ed scowled at his brother. “You know, the chi thing. You think I have a shot?”

“Ed.” Al sighed and put his hand on Ed’s shoulder. “I don’t even know what to look for with that one. Couldn’t even tell you where to begin. And I am not going to be used as your personal go-to person to see if he likes you back. This is something you’ll want to do on your own.”

“There’s nothing wrong with helping your older brother out.” Ed felt his logic was sound enough. He’d help Al out anyway he could no matter what. “I’d help you if you asked.”

“Oh, so you’re going to go there.” Al moved his hands onto his hips and looked up at the night sky. “I don’t recall asking you for help when I asked Mei out.”

“Yeah, well, that’s different.” Ed bulked, not wanting to go inside until he got something from Al. “You already knew how she felt about you from like, forever ago.”

Al pushed Ed forward towards the door. “Trust me on this one. You’ll want to do this yourself. That’s half the fun, and it can get a lot more complicated when other people start poking their noses in your business.”

Ed got up to the door and stopped. “It still wouldn’t kill you to throw me a hint or something.”

“That’s not going to happen.” Al stood beside him with a firm look of determination on his face. He gave a nod to the door. “Shall we?”

Sighing, Ed relented. Al had a point. They did need to get a room and go over the information Mustang had given them tonight. And maybe catch a little sleep. Despite his constant dosing on the train from Xing, he hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in the past twenty-four hours. Besides, he had plenty of time to wheedle information from Al later on. 

Ed opened the door and stepped through, wondering if he would run into Roy before they left for Briggs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the story is officially beginning ^^ this chapter has gone through a lot of revisions, but I'm somewhat happy with how it turned out. I hope how the partial chess is written didn't come across in a weird way. 
> 
> Chapter four should be done before the month's end. I spent a good chunk of this month getting the draft finished for the fma big bang but will be able to focus on the next chapter for the remainder of January.


	4. Chapter 4

When they stepped off the train, the bite of the wind and the amount of snow surprised him even though it shouldn’t have. Ed had almost forgotten how cold it could get up North. It had been years since they last visited, and this was exactly why. Even without his automail, the weather felt brutal. Winter hadn’t even fully hit, yet snow had already covered everything. 

Al had insisted that he pack his warm red coat, along with extra clothing he could layer and a sturdy pair of boots. Now that they were here, he felt grateful to Al for thinking ahead. Although, he wished he would have brought a thicker pair of gloves. The thin white ones on his hands didn’t protect his skin like he wanted them to. 

After they walked from the train to the outside of the station, he found himself knee-deep in snow. The walkway and steps leading down towards town were icy, and it was all he could do to keep his balance. The layers of clothing he had on did little to stop the chill from seeping in. Glancing over at Al, Ed noticed he was having the same problem. He looked small and hunched up underneath his dark gray wool coat. With North City this bad, Briggs would be a killer. 

“I think we should check in a hotel tonight and head to Briggs tomorrow.” Ed picked his suitcase up off the ground and started back down the steps. “If we try to go tonight, we’re gonna freeze to death.”

“I agree.” Al followed Ed the rest of the way and onto the sidewalk. “With the way the wind is blowing, other than finding a ride all the way there, I don’t see how we can make it in this weather. And no one will drive us all the way to Briggs. Not when it's this late.”

“We can call General Armstrong and let her know we’ll be coming through tomorrow.” Ed pulled his hood tighter around his head, hoping to keep some of the biting chill away. “That should be sufficient enough for her.”

“Let’s hope,” Al replied. “She doesn’t like it when people are late. Or make excuses. She may expect us to keep going even though we'd be crazy to try.”

“She’ll have to get over it then.” Ed really didn’t want to have General Armstrong pissed off at them, but he also didn’t want to take unnecessary risks when he had Al with him. “Let’s find a place to stay, call her, and then go from there.”

Al only sighed in response to that. He then pointed towards their right. “If I remember the city map correctly, there should be some hotels nearby.”

Ed followed Al’s lead and thought back to the last bit of information he read while on the train. Roy had definitely given them a thorough report of what to expect. After he had read it over, it really sunk in how little he had thought about what Mustang did daily. That had to take constant planning in order to keep everything running smoothly. Ed couldn't even begin to imagine living that day in and day out. 

According to the report, Drachma had officially turned down offers for negotiations with Amestris two years ago. Roy had made it clear he intended to improve relations with all countries that bordered Amestris if possible. Ed felt in order to keep up his agreement and help Roy, he needed to make sure the information exchange went well no matter what while making sure he didn’t take unnecessary risks. Whatever that meant. His idea of risks didn’t always seem to match Roy’s, but he would try not to mess it up somehow and do the wrong thing.

The streets were almost empty by the time they made it closer to North City. Ed glanced at this watch and it read a quarter to ten. They had had dinner on the train. Some half-assed fish dinner that tasted bland and rubbery. But at least they didn’t have to worry about feeding themselves before checking into a hotel. He was beat. Once they got a room for the night, Ed couldn’t wait to settle down and sleep. He'd wing it and wait until they got to Briggs to talk to Armstrong. Calling her now felt like too much trouble and effort. 

When they got to the end of the street and turned the corner, a line of businesses and hotels could be seen. Most of the stores seemed closed up for the night already, but the hotels still had their outside lights on. 

“Let’s go the first one we see,” Ed suggested as he slowed down. 

“Fine by me.” Al stopped and looked around. He then pointed to Ed’s right. “That one should be good.”

Ed followed Al to the third building on the street. The hotel didn’t look fancy, but it also didn’t look run down. The letters etched across the top of the door simply read, North City Hotel. He snorted, wondering if they all lacked originally like this one. Ed pushed the door in and held it open for Al. 

The front desk was situated in the middle of the lobby, and the bright lights overhead lit it up. Al walked up and talked to the short bald man behind the desk. Ed stayed behind to look around and take it all in. The walls were a plain ivory, and there were a few paintings of flowers hanging on the walls. Lush plants lined the window sills. Ed wondered how anything could grow in this climate even indoors. 

“Are you coming?” Al stopped and looked back at him. He was already halfway to the stairwell. 

“Yeah, sorry. Lost my train of thought for a second.” Ed quickly caught up to Al. 

“It's fine. You look tired.” Al started up the stairs. “We're in room 306, and I have an extra key for you in case we're both out and don't come back at the same time.”

Once they reached the top of the stairs and opened to the door, they walked down the long dim hallway until they finally got to room 306. Al pulled one of the keys out of his pocket and opened the door. Ed followed Al inside and set his suitcase against the wall in the small closet nook. After he slipped his boots off, he looked around. This small room would be their home until they were finished with their business in Drachma. 

The room had two single beds and a compact table and chair set in the far corner. A small bathroom lay to the right of the door. It wasn’t much, but it would be more than enough to accommodate them for a few days. 

They both took off their coats and extra layers of clothing, neatly folding and stacking them on the closet shelf. Walking across the room, Ed claimed the bed closest to the window since it was colder so that Al would sleep better. Sitting on the bed, he got himself into a comfortable position and folded his legs in. He picked up his journal, flipped it open, and started to write in it. 

“Are you writing about the General again?” Al sat down on one of the chairs next to the table and leaned his head into the palm of his hand. 

“What makes you ask that?” Ed glanced up from his journal and shot Al a suspicious look.

“You usually do write about him in your journal, right?” Al shifted in his seat but gave no indication he was fishing for anything more even though he had no other reason to ask. “You know, you could ask him out to dinner and be done with it.”

“I can’t ask him out to dinner, Al.” Ed gave his brother another withering glare and went back to his journal. “Not unless it was a professional meeting. Otherwise it would be too weird.”

“Why would it be weird?” Al asked. “You’d find out whether or not you should pursue him.”

“Because, he probably doesn’t think of me in that way,” Ed stopped writing for a moment before continuing. “yet. You’re making too big a deal about it.”

Al stood up and went over to his bed. “Well, you keep writing about it, and I know you think about him a lot. And you have for a long time. And when we were in Central you got awfully touchy-feely with him a couple of times.”

“I did not. Don't be a jerk about it. It’ll go somewhere, Al.” Ed looked up, his face scrunched in thought. “Keep it up and you're gonna turn into a big worrier. I know what I’m doing.” He wrote a few more lines then smiled a lop-sided grin. “So, how’s it goin with Mei? Planning a wedding soon?”

“Don’t change the subject.” Al laid his back against the pillows. “It’s unbecoming of you, brother.”

“Not changing the subject. You two look cozier and cozier each time I see you.” Ed closed his journal and pushed it aside. “Just wondering when you’re going to make me an uncle.”

“Oh please. You just don’t want to talk about the General.” Al turned his head so that he could give Ed a long-suffering look. “But on the off chance you are being sincere… Mei and I are doing well. She’s too young to get married, though so you’re not going to be an uncle any time soon.”

“Hey, don’t mind waiting a couple of years. She'll be eighteen before you know it.” Ed sat up and pulled the blankets down. Already the chill in the room was getting to him. 

“We’re not going to rush this, brother,” Al coolly replied. 

“Never said you should.” Ed got underneath the blankets and looked back over at his brother. “But neither should I. Asking him out to dinner now would be hurrying it along. I see no difference.”

“Alright,” Al let out a sigh of defeat. “You win. For now. I’ll leave you alone about General Mustang, but seriously, I did not wait that long before courting Mei.”

“You already knew how she felt, though so it doesn’t count. And I can’t exactly court Roy. That’s not how it works when you like a guy.” Ed rolled over so that he faced the window and pulled the blankets tighter around his body. “Can you get the lights when you’re done doing whatever you’re doing?”

“How would you know? It's not like you've liked any other guys before,” Al grumbled then acquiesced. “Sure, I’ll turn out the light. So, this informant, she’ll be an older woman and wearing a green cloak over her clothes?”

Ed shifted his body until he found a comfortable half-stretched out half-fetal position. “Yeah, that’s what the report says. Brown hair, gray eyes.” He flung his left arm over his eyes. “Gonna go to sleep now.”

Al sat up suddenly. “Oh, wait. I wanted to ask you something else.”

“What is it?” Ed pulled his arm down and craned his head around so he could peek at Al. 

“What do you plan on telling General Armstrong tomorrow?” Al hesitantly asked. They both knew that going to Briggs was risky. Questions would be asked. 

“I plan on telling her as little as possible, but mainly that we’re going over there for research, which isn’t a lie.” Ed yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Hopefully, she won’t press any further, but either way we need to go through Briggs territory to get to Drachma so we should let her know. Don’t know bout you but not looking to get shot by one of Brigg’s soldiers on accident. If she doesn’t believe us, we’ll improvise and come up with something.”

“I hope she doesn’t want to send someone with us.” Al smoothed out the bedding with his fingers, something Ed noticed he did when he was nervous. “That’s going to mess it all up.”

“If she does, we can always go back to Central and tell Roy it didn’t work out.” Ed repositioned himself and felt the first pull of sleep tug at him. “Now let me rest. We’ll work it out tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, brother.” Al slid off the bed and went to turn out the light. When he looked back at Ed, his brother was fast asleep. Unfortunately, it would take him far longer to follow. 

~*~  
General Armstrong sat in her chair, head resting in her hand, and waited for them to sit down. “What does he want this time?”

“I thought you knew.” Ed kept his tone casual and took the seat closest to her, while Al took the one near the door. He hoped she wouldn’t pry further. Roy had said he sent a message, and Ed could only guess it was probably as ambiguous as they came. “I believe Mustang sent some information here already.”

“Of course. But I’ve learned long ago not to take anything that man says at face value.” Armstrong narrowed her eyes at them until they both felt like prey pinned down by some wild beast. “So I want you to tell me what you’re doing at Briggs, and how you intend to cross the border and come back alive without causing any chaos here.”

Ed tapped his fingers on the table and thought it over. General Armstrong would know if he left out information, but he also couldn’t be sure how she’d react if he told her Roy’s plans, and he _had_ agreed not to spill those plans so it didn’t matter. That one wasn’t an option. He would have to approach this carefully. 

“Al and I are trying to gather some research from there.” Ed added that to his list of things to do while in Drachma in case she wanted proof. “I can’t give you anymore details on it. We don’t like to theorize about anything until we have all the facts in front of us.”

“It’s nothing nefarious, we promise,” Al quickly added. “I’m sure you’ve heard about some our research already.” 

“I don’t doubt it isn't, but is it information I can use?” Armstrong asked, her eyes carefully following the two of them. “If you can convince me I would have nothing to lose from it, I’ll let the two of you use Briggs to get in and out of Drachma.”

“If you’d like, we can make you an array that would help your forces out.” Ed hoped his offer would appease her for now. “It helps to heal wounds. That's part of our research we've been working on. Still in the early stages of it now, but we can make you a deal to have something substantial worked out before we leave.” He leaned in closer. “Imagine your soldiers having wounds healed while in battle. It would significantly cut down on lives lost, which will help them to defend Briggs more efficiently.”

“While I doubt that’s your real reason for crossing the boarder, your offer intrigues me.” Olivier’s expression changed from irritation to boredom, which in Ed’s experience was a good sign. “Tell me more about the array and how it would be used.”

“Sure, we can go over that with you.” Ed visibly relaxed at the change of topic. “Al and I will only need about ten minutes of your time, or if you’d like, we could talk to anyone here who knows a little about alchemy.”

“First tell me, and then if I need you to relay the information to anyone else, I’ll have you do that. I also want to know how you’ll be using Briggs to cross the boarder.” Olivier leaned back in her chair and waited. 

“Well, we won’t exactly need to use Briggs per se,” Al began to explain. “More like, we’ll be in the area and wanted to let you know we’re here. We’ll only be coming back and forth, but not actually through the fort. We want to go through the mountains.”

“Yeah, only on the outskirts, and we don’t wanna get shot at,” Ed added. “Not that any of your men would shoot us on purpose or anything. It’s just that visibility here is crap sometimes. Rather give you a heads up so everyone here knows not to shoot first then ask questions later.”

“I don’t think telling me this will decrease your odds much, but very well.” Armstrong sat forward so that she reached her desk. “I’ll have Miles take care of it. He'll let my men know to ignore the two of you if they see you outside the fort. I expect you both to stay out of the way. My men have work to do, and they don't need any unnecessary distractions.”

“Of course.” Al vigorously nodded his head. “We have no intentions of intruding on anyone here.”

“We promise to stay out of the way.” Ed almost finished that sentence with a ‘just don’t kill us’ but decided not to. Armstrong seemed to lack a sense of humor on most accounts. 

Olivier sat there and stared at them until neither could tell if it was a thoughtful look or bored one. “Edward, you can stay here and explain that array to me.”

“And what would you like me to do?” Al asked, resting his hands on his knees. 

She glanced over at him before turning her attention back to Ed. “I don’t care what you do just go away. When I'm done with your brother, I'll send him to go find you.”

“Oh… okay.” Al glanced at Ed, who only nodded at him. “I’ll go visit then.”

Once Al left and closed the door behind him, Ed turned back to General Armstrong. “So what do you really want from me?”

“I’ve been at Briggs for a long time.” Her unwavering gaze sent a nagging feeling of worry through Ed. “All these years I’ve been able to protect Amestris and my men from an invasion. That’s our job, and we do it well. Whatever you and your brother are planning to do, it had better not bring Drachman forces through. I want to make myself clear about this.”

“We would never do something like that.” Ed narrowed his eyes. The implied accusation didn’t set well with him.

Armstrong looked at him, amused. “I’m aware of where you and your brother’s loyalties lie, however, intentional or not, if you bring anyone back with you, I will not hesitate to turn you both over to them, nor will I prevent either of you from getting into the crossfire if it comes to that.

“I’m sure you have every intention to do your research, but I also know General Mustang has probably put you up to this for his own reasons. As I said, I don’t care what that man is doing, but I do care that Briggs is potentially involved.”

“We won’t be followed or caught,” Ed reassured. “We’ll be careful not to be seen going across the border.”

“See that you don’t,” Armstrong simply replied. She opened up her desk drawer and took out a piece of paper and pencil and pushed them towards Ed. “Now tell me about this array and how we can use it.”

Ed took the pencil and paper and began to draw. Hopefully, Al was having more fun catching up with old friends. He had a feeling General Armstrong had no intentions of letting him leave any time soon.

~*~

It hadn’t taken Al long to make a small tunnel through the mountains. Ed admired his brother’s efficiency when it came to alchemy. Not many people had that kind of focus to do something so precise so quickly. They had spent half the day making sure the tunnel would hold and the width would be big enough for the two of them. They also set up small electric lamps along the side of the walls that could be activated and deactivated using alchemy. 

Once they got through the mountains, they were able to find the small village on the other side right away. They only needed to walk down a ways and up over a small hill. Now they were standing at the meeting point, which was a large pine that looked like it had a large chunk carved out of the side, waiting for the informant to come. 

Briggs had been cold enough. Drachma, though, looked like a desolate winter wasteland in Ed’s opinion. Bitter winds cut through his layers and even managed to find a way up through his hood and scarf. Al seemed to fare a little better, though occasionally, Ed would catch him shiver. 

“Do you think we’ll be back in time for the poker game tonight?” Al shivered again and kept pacing back and forth to keep himself warm. “Karley invited us to stay and play with them.”

“Sounds like you had way more fun than I did at Briggs. Armstrong kept having me go over the array after explaining it to her. I think she did that on purpose just to annoy me.” Ed rocked back and forth on his feet to keep himself moving. If he stopped, he knew the cold would feel that much worse. “And I have no idea. This is where we’re supposed to meet the informant, but she’s already twenty minutes late.”

If the informant didn’t show up soon, they would have to go back. The idea left a bad taste in Ed’s mouth. Returning across the border before getting out of the cold and warming up sent a shiver through him. He also didn’t know how long they could keep standing in the same spot without freezing to death or drawing unwanted attention. The few people who passed by had already given them suspicious looks. 

Ed moved closer to Al to get more warmth. When he looked back up he saw an older woman come into view, wearing a dark green cloak over her coat. When she got close enough to where she only stood a couple feet away from them, he saw wisps of brown hair underneath her hood, and her eyes were a cloudy gray. They both stood there for a moment and looked at each other. 

“Are you Jonathon and Rufus Thick?” the older woman asked cautiously. 

Ed stepped forward and held out his hand and shook hers. “Yes, that’s us.” Then he remembered and fished out his ID card. Al followed his lead and handed the woman his card as well. “Here, if you want to take a look.”

“My apologies for being late. There was an unexpected snow storm north of here.” She looked over the IDs and then at them before giving the cards back. “We should get inside. There’s a small house nearby that has a wood-burning stove that we can use. It will be warmer without the wind.”

They followed her past a few ramshackle-looking abodes and into a small house that was situated further away. Inside, it wasn’t so bad. At least a fire crackled in the stove, cutting down on the cold. Ed felt his body start to warm, though his hands still felt like icicles. 

The house only seemed to have one main room. Ed saw a door across it and figured it probably led to bedroom or maybe a bathroom. There were crates stacked up on the far end, and he wondered what she had stored in them. In the middle of the front area were a small table and two chairs. The old woman took a seat and waited. Ed glanced at Al who nudged him forward so he sat down. 

“Actually, I would prefer if you and I could sit together, alone.” She looked directly at Ed. 

“It’s fine.” Al nodded towards the crates across the room. “I’ll go sit over there and give you some privacy.” 

After Al walked away, Ed sat down. “So what now?”

“You are the person sent in place of General Mustang?” she asked while carefully assessing him.

“Yeah, this isn’t something he can do himself.” Ed tried to keep his voice even and professional. He had never done anything like this before, and the thoughts going through his mind felt lame at best. “I’m here to see if we can come to some agreement in order to move forward.”

She sighed and shifted in her seat. “I feel it would be prudent for you to plan on staying here for awhile.”

“Can you tell me how long you want me to stay here?” Ed glanced over at Al to make sure he was okay. He had taken a seat on one of the crates and sat there with his hands folded in his lap.

“Negotiations can take while, but since this is only the beginning, I think I will only need you for a day or two to start with.” Arctic Cobra pulled down her hood. Ed could see the beginnings of fine lines and wrinkles on her face. “I would prefer if we did this one-on-one.”

Ed frowned. He didn’t mind sticking around by himself, but Al wouldn’t like it. “Is there a reason why you don’t want my brother to stay?”

“I want to talk to you alone,” she replied. When she noticed the hesitation on Ed’s face, she held up her hand. “This village is poor and small. Outsiders are normally not welcome here. It will be difficult enough to convince them to ignore your presence let alone your brother’s as well. If he absolutely has to stay, I can come up with a reason but for tonight, I think this would be best.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Ed looked over and saw that Al looking directly at them with a frown on his face. “Let me talk to my brother first.”

Standing up, he pushed in his chair. While the front room wasn’t big, it had provided a bit of privacy to his conversation with Arctic Cobra. Or at least he thought it had. Ed wanted to ask her real name but knew better. Right now, they were nowhere near to the point of exchanging real names. He wasn’t sure there would ever be a proper time and place for that or if they would even meet again after this. 

For now, he needed to cooperate with her the best he could. So he stuck his hands in his pockets and went over to Al, hoping that what he needed to ask wouldn’t cause a fight between them. Judging by the defiant look on Al’s face, it wasn’t going to be easy. 

Ed rubbed his hands together and sat down next to Al. “I need you to do me a favor.”

“If you’re going to ask me to go back without you, the answer is no.” Al scowled at him. “You were talking low, but I still heard what you said to her.” 

“Hear me out first.” He sighed and thought of how exactly to word it without making Al angry. “I need to stay a little longer. Apparently there are some things she wants to talk over with me alone, and until trust is established, I don’t feel like I can say no.” When Al didn’t look like he would budge, Ed continued. “This is important, or I wouldn’t ask you. You know that.”

“What will you do if you need to get out fast and can’t get back to Briggs?” Al harshly whispered. “Or what if you’re attacked? I’m not leaving you here.”

“Come back in two days.” Ed pulled out his journal and tore a page out of it from the back. “Meet me back here then, the same time and spot as tonight where we met her. If I don’t show up within the hour, I want you to contact Roy and let him know that I’m missing.” 

“Should I just tell him you’re dead?” Al sorely retorted. “I’m sure that’ll save him time searching for you.”

“I’m not going to die, Al. You know better.” Ed kept his voice calm and even. He had to. Now was not the time to get into a fight with Al. “I’ll figure something out if things go wrong, but I can’t go back to Briggs with nothing.”

“I don’t like it.” Al’s tone rose a little and took on a bitter note. “This whole thing doesn’t seem right, brother. It feels like a trap. I’m sure the General won’t mind if you can’t get what you came for. Didn’t he say not to take any unnecessary risks?” 

“He also said to negotiate if I needed to,” Ed calmly pointed out. “Right now, I don’t feel like I’m in danger. I don’t think it’s a trap. I think she only wants to talk, but just in case she doesn’t, I need you to go back to Briggs and send an update. “That way if something does go wrong, Mustang will at least know the people he’s trying to build political ties with are no good.” He looked Al straight in the eye. “Please, go back and meet me here in two days.” 

“Fine, but if you’re not here, at the right time, I’m going to call Roy and tell him how you feel about him.” Al stood up, arms folded across his chest, and glared. 

“Hey, that’s not,” Ed wasn’t sure which to be more surprised over. The fact that Al was using Roy to manipulate him with or that he actually called Mustang by his first name. “That’s playing dirty.”

“You can call it whatever you like.” Al sniffed and turned his head away from his brother. “I however, like to think of it as a little extra incentive for you to take this more seriously.”

“Fine, whatever. You can tell him if I don’t make it back to the meeting point on time.” Ed could feel his face heat up at that thought. “Does that satisfy you?”

“Not really, but it will do.” Al grabbed his pack and put it over his shoulders. “Stay safe, and I expect you to be there in two days. I’ll be counting the down the time so don’t forget.”

“I won’t forget,” Ed reassured. He watched Al walk away and through the front door, escorted by their informant, to head back towards Briggs. Sighing, he went back to the table, sat down, and waited. 

He sat up straight when she came back through the front door and closed it. “What do you have for me tonight? Is there something in particular you want to go over now that we’re alone?” 

“I don’t have much for you.” She sat down across from him. “We talk mostly. You said you had somewhere to be in two days so I suggest we start as soon as possible.”

Ed pulled his chair in closer to the table and folded his hands together. “Where should we start?”

Arctic Cobra gave him a pointed look. “How well do you trust General Mustang?”

“I would trust him with my own life,” Ed simply answered, making sure to keep eye contact with her. “And the lives of my loved ones.”

“There are people here in Drachma who are not opposed to change or even an alliance with Amestris.” A small smile appeared on her face. To Ed it seemed weary more than anything. “But the very same people are reluctant to put our trust in someone we’ve never met.”

“That’s understandable.” Ed had lived through it most of his life and played both the part of the outsider and the one meeting someone new and strange. “What can I do to convince you to agree to this?”

“In the letter he sent, General Mustang said you were his representation.” She pulled out a thin folder and set it down in front of her. “Therefore, you and I need to come to an understanding. If it is true that you represent him and his values, then you must be the one to convince with your own words and actions.”

Judging from the resolve on the woman’s face, Ed knew he was in for a long night. “Tell me what you would like me to do, and I’ll see if I can accommodate you.”

“It would be helpful to your General if you were to stay and see for yourself what kind of people we are.” She opened up the file, took out a piece of paper, and slid it across the table to Ed. 

“That’s not entirely my decision, but I’ll see what I can do.” Ed looked down at the paper. It had names and places marked on it. “I’m not sure what this is for.”

“Those listed are others interested in changing the current government,” she explained. “The places mark the areas where we meet.”

“Why would you give me something like this?” Ed knew if something like this fell into the wrong hands it could mean death to all the people involved. “Isn’t it risky when we barely know each other?”

She nodded her head. “Perhaps. Consider this an act of goodwill on our part.”

“And now it’s our turn to show you something.” Ed could guess where this was going. 

“Your General, he’s an alchemist, right?” she asked. “It shouldn’t be hard for him to understand the concept I’m offering.”

“Yes, but more than anything, he’s dedicated to the military and opening up communication between other countries, and also to protecting the people who serve under him.” Ed had to make sure he was clear on this matter so she knew what to expect. “So he understands equivalent exchange, but he also understands that life doesn’t necessarily revolve around it either. I don’t think he’ll give you names if there’s a possibility it could harm anyone.”

“What do you think he wants from this?” she asked, her voice strained. 

“I think, right now, he only wants us to talk and see where it goes from there. His interest in promoting peace is genuine,” Ed answered. “If you want something on our part, I don’t have a problem with that, but I’ll need to talk to him about it and about staying longer. As far as what you need in order to prove we’re serious, maybe you can be clearer about your expectations.”

She sat silence for a moment before acquiescing. “I think these meetings will help. If you have any valuable information to share that would go a long ways towards showing us how committed you are to this task. Is there something you know you can part with?”

“You mean information as in tactical? Or are you looking for something else?” Ed really couldn’t see the benefit of giving her information on Roy. He’d just as soon walk away from this than take that risk.

But if she wanted alchemical information, that he had no trouble handing it over so long as it couldn’t be used for military purposes. He had seen enough misuse of alchemy to last a lifetime. His whole reason for being here was to extend an offer of peace, not make it so Amestris could end up obliterated by another country. 

Sighing he pushed the piece of paper aside. “I can maybe offer you some alchemy that will help out your medical field. Other than that, I’m not at liberty to extend any additional information until I discuss this meeting with General Mustang.”

“Fair enough.” She looked down at the paper on the table then back at Ed. “That is yours to keep. Tell your General what we discussed here. And we’ll go from there. When do you have to meet with your brother again?”

“I told him to give me two days from now.” Ed folded the paper up and tucked it into his inside coat pocket. “When I come back, I’ll need to bring him along. Will that be a problem?”

“If you must bring him then do so.” She gazed at him for a long moment. “As I said before by bringing him here, there will be more of a chance of people becoming suspicious.”

“I’m aware of that, and while I don’t like that risk, I had him come with me in case there were problems,” Ed explained. “I don’t mind doing two days without him, but I can’t stay longer and keep him away. That’s not something negotiable.”

“Alright.” She gave Ed a pointed look. “I’ll allow you to bring your brother back with you. Of course, this entire meeting will become more dangerous.”

“I realize that,” Ed agreed. “It’s a risk worth taking.”

“Okay, Mr. Jonathon Thick,” she folded her hands together and rested her chin on them, “Tell me a little about your character.”

Ed leaned back and blew out a deep breath, unsure of what to say or where to start. He had agreed to cooperate, though, so even if it took all night, he had start from somewhere and try. 

~*~

Not too after he came back from eating dinner did the phone start ringing. Al had enough time to lock the door and find his first edition on _Theoretical Alkahestry_. He had sat down, settled into a comfortable position, and started the chapter on how alkahestry was used to formulate medicinal elixirs when Roy called him back. 

Al picked up it, cradling it between his right shoulder and his ear. “Hello?”

 _“Alphonse?”_ Roy’s voice came through clear from the other end of the line. _“I received a message that you had called.”_

“Yes. I was asked to check in with you.” Al moved the phone from his right ear to his left. “We made it across the boarder and met with the informant.”

 _“How did it go?”_ Roy asked. _“Any first impressions worth noting?”_

“I didn’t really talk to her so I can’t really say.” Al braced himself for the conversation to come. 

_“May I talk to Edward then?”_ Of course Roy immediately asked the one question that Al really didn’t want to answer. 

Sighing, Al ran his fingers across the smooth table surface. “Ed’s not here. He chose to stay behind and sent me back to check in.”

For a moment Al thought that maybe General Mustang had hung up on him from the long silence. Then he heard a quiet exhale of breath. _“He’s over there alone?”_

“Yes, but he,” Al paused, unsure of what to say without sounding like he disagreed with Ed’s decision. “He’s fine with it. Apparently, the woman who met with us wanted to speak to him alone.”

 _“How long before you go back for him?”_ Roy’s voice held a hint of worry.

“We’ll meet in forty eight hours.” Al rested his head in his hand. “Until then, I’ll be staying in North City.”

 _“A lot can go wrong in that amount of time,”_ Roy argued. _“He shouldn’t have sent you back without coming with you.”_

Al felt a prickle of annoyance in his brother’s behalf even though he fully agreed with what the General was saying. “You gave him absolute authority to act as he saw fit. You’re going to have to trust him on this. Ed wouldn’t stay unless he felt he had a chance to get what you need. I really couldn’t say no when he’s so determined to do this right and make it work for you.”

 _“It’s a risky move on his part,”_ Roy countered. _“If something should go wrong, how does he intend to get out safely?”_

“We’ve been in worse scrapes before.” Al could feel the worry start to creep back in, but he made sure to keep his voice even. “He knows how to defend himself. He’ll be fine.”

 _“Are you sure about that?”_ Roy asked. _“Because, you don’t seem too certain, Alphonse.”_

“I’m sure,” Al reiterated, irritated that Roy had seen through his response. “Ed will be fine. Two days from now, we’ll figure out what we’ll do next, but for now, he’s going to try this on his own.”

 _“I don’t like it, Alphonse.”_ Roy lowered his voice. _“Drachma is far more dangerous than Creta. I sent you both with the hope that you would stick together. Tell him no more going over there alone. When you meet back up with him, I don’t want you separated again.”_

“I’ll be sure to pass on the message.” Al glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed. It was getting late. He wanted to get off the phone as soon as he could before he could be interrogated more. “But I’m going to try to settle in for the night and get some sleep. So far, there’s nothing else to report. The meeting seemed to go well enough. Is there anything else you’d like me to pass along to him?”

 _“When he gets back, I want him to check in with me immediately.”_ Roy’s order seemed more like a request, but Al knew better. _“I think I need to go over a few things with him.”_

“I’ll make sure to tell him that.” Al switched the phone back to his other ear. 

_“Good, see that you do,”_ Roy answered. _“So you didn’t talk to the informant at all?”_

“No,” Al explained. “She mainly wanted to talk to Ed alone. I’m guessing to cut down on the amount of people involved or maybe she wanted to assess Ed’s intentions without me there. I only ended up sitting away from where they were, and they really didn’t talk about much. She wanted to see if he could stay by himself.”

 _“Alright.”_ Roy sighed. _“If something should happen between now and when you meet up with Ed call me. Or, if for some reason he doesn’t show up at the rendezvous point, I want to know right away.”_

“I already threatened him with some things if he didn’t come back, so you don’t need to worry about that.” Al intentionally left out the details about his threat. He’d only use it if needed, and Ed would kill him if he let anything spill beforehand. “I definitely call you if something comes up.”

 _“Sounds good. Thank you for calling, Alphonse. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”_ Roy’s tone eased out a little. 

“Sure thing General. You have a good night as well.” Al placed the phone back when he heard the dial tone. 

Picking up his book, Al easily found where he left off, though now he felt annoyed. If Ed pulled something like this again, he was going to give his brother a piece of his mind and possibly a right hook to the face. 

~*~

Ed woke up with a start, his mind still trailing an idea he must have dreamed about. He yawned, realizing that he had fallen asleep on the chair near the stove. Looking around the room, he noticed that Arctic Cobra was carefully watching him. He was still in Drachma while Al had gone back to their hotel to check in with Roy. 

“What time is it?” He rubbed his eyes all the way up to his forehead and glanced out the window, which had frosted over from the cold. 

“It’s almost five in the morning.” She pointed to a small clock sitting on the windowsill. “You still have time.”

“I’ll say. It feels like I should be leaving soon.” Ed stood up and stretched. His mind started to clear and then he remembered. “I think I have an idea for you.”

She moved her chair closer to the table and waved him over. “Do share it with me.”

Ed went over and sat down, folding his hands in front of him. “While I can’t promise anything, I think that maybe I’ll be able to convince General Mustang to allow me to stay longer, which is what you want. But it will also give us time to hammer out any ideas between us. I don’t mind staying, but I’d like go back to him with something more if I do.

“He’ll be more willing to agree to it if I also have a specific goal in mind.” He lowered his voice and looked down at the table for a moment before glancing back up. “The names on that piece of paper, is there anyway I could at the very least meet with some of those people? I’d like to get an idea of where all of you stand with this. How opposed are they to this meeting?”

“If my government found out about this meeting, they would kill me and anyone else involved without hesitation,” she explained. “I could possibly set up a meeting with one other person, but it will depend on how long you stay. Getting messages back and forth takes time due to the government watching over correspondence. I should be able to at the very least set up some future meetings that will take place at a later date. While I want you to stay longer, you shouldn’t stay here for more than a few weeks at time.” 

“Okay, a few weeks doesn’t sound too bad.” Ed could do that with no problem. From their talks last night, she seemed fully invested in making this work. “What will we be doing if we do stay for that long?”

“I’ll try to set you up with some odd jobs,” she replied. “The people in this village are good people. Hard working. I should be able to pass the two of you off as immigrants who are looking for a better life. It may take time for them to trust you, but as long as you work hard and keep a low profile, you shouldn’t have any trouble. You’ll stick to using the names you gave me. Never call each other by your real names.”

“That makes sense.” Ed nodded his head in agreement. “And you said you thought that maybe you could arrange a meeting with another informant?”

“Possibly. That will take more time to work out,” she restated. “In the meantime, I will focus on getting you and your brother settled in. Do either of you have any special skills I should know about? It would be helpful if you did and make it easier to get the people here to accept you both.”

“Well, my brother can do alchemy, medically and for fixing things.” Ed tapped his fingers against the table while he thought it out. “I can help out with regular things. I’ve done a lot of odd jobs over the years to help pay my way. Mostly for a place to sleep at night and a hot meal, but I don’t see why we wouldn’t be able to help the people here out if they needed it.”

“There are no doctors here,” she mused. “That may be a good place to start. And that would allow me to have you both coming and going. I could pass you off as doctors who are willing to come once a month and stay for a couple of weeks. Do you know how to do basic treatment of wounds?”

“I’m not certified to do any, but I have watched doctors work and studied basic principles.” Ed chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. “It would be better if you passed my brother off as a doctor and me either as an apprentice or family that came with him. How desperate are these people for medical care?”

“They will accept even basic help. If you are at least able to clean and wrap wounds that will be good enough,” she replied. “The weather is harsh here, and it makes it difficult for anyone to maintain their land without fear of constant injury. In the cities, life is easier, but out in the rural region, most people are poor and cannot afford to travel to one of the cities to see a doctor if they sustain an injury. And most doctors in the cities are unwilling to come out here because of the weather and low pay.”

“Alright, let me note some of this down so I can relay what we’ve discussed.” Ed got out his pen and journal. He started writing down everything they discussed. “When do you want me to come back here for our next meeting?”

“Come back tomorrow. We’ll meet at the same time as before.” She pushed another paper towards him. “These are the names of the families who live here. When you and your brother come back, I’ll introduce you to a few of them.”

“I’ll also make sure my brother it briefed on what we’ll be doing, depending on whether or not we can stay.” Ed finished writing out his notes and closed his journal. “If you have time, can you show me around today? I don’t have to meet up with my brother until this evening so I have extra time to kill.”

Arctic cobra stood up from the table and pulled her coat on. “Sure, some of them should be waking up now.”

Ed stood up and followed her lead. Once they added layers of clothing and put on their coats to prepare for the bitter cold, they headed out towards the small village. 

~*~

When he made it to meeting point, Al was already standing there. Ed picked up his pace, excited to meet up with his brother and glad he had made it a little early. Being late hadn’t been an option. Not only did Al’s threat settle firmly into the back of his mind, he also didn’t need for Roy to get a message that he had gone missing. 

He waved when Al looked in his direction and finally caught up. Putting his hands on his knees, Ed stopped to catch his breath. “Hey.”

“How did it go?” Al merely looked at him and rubbed his hands together to keep them warm. “I hope you got something because I’m pretty sure General Mustang is about to have a fit if you stay here any longer without me.”

“Is he that pissed off at me?” Ed started walking towards where they would slip back to Briggs from Drachma. 

“He wasn’t happy with the news at all,” Al replied, walking next to him. “He sounded really worried. You should apologize to him, brother.”

“I need to call Roy anyway and let him know we’re going to be here awhile longer so I’ll smooth it over with him then.” He stopped then turned to Al. “Unless… if you don’t want to stick around, feel free to head back to Xing.”

Al frowned at him. “There’s no way I’m going to leave you here by yourself. The whole point to me coming was so you’d have an alchemist handy. Didn’t you just hear me say that you’re already in trouble with the General?”

“I know. It’s just that, this may take awhile, and I don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck here if you want to go back to Mei,” Ed explained and then started walking again. 

“Mei is fine with me being here.” Al fell into step beside him. “I already told her I may not be back for awhile.”

“Are you sure?” Ed shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “When I say it may take awhile, I’m not kidding.”

“I know that, but honestly, I can’t see us staying much longer.” Al looked straight ahead, unwilling to see the disappointment on Ed’s face. “I know you’re really into making this work out, but General Mustang didn’t send us up here to stay long. Only to pass along information and officially make contact. You’ve done that already. I think you should let him take care of the rest.”

Ed knew where Al was going with this. “I get it. I do, but still, I’m going to ask Roy about it and see if he’ll mind extending the stay here. If he says no, then we’ll go home. Can’t really argue too much with him when I’m working for him, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to convince him to say yes.”

“Good luck with that.” Al chanced a look at Ed and frowned when he noticed the determination on his brother’s face. “If he does say no, it’s not like it’s the end. There will be more opportunities to come back here and continue.”

Ed sighed. “Sometimes, Al you gotta go with it, you know. Wait too long and a good opportunity can pass by and there’s not always a way to get it back. Maybe we should go back to Central soon. Maybe it won’t work out staying here, but it could. And I have to try.”

“Do you think she’s sincere?” Al asked. 

“She gave me some information already so yeah, I think she’s serious enough about it, but she’s also not the only person on that list,” Ed explained. “So, it’s hard to tell, you know. If there’s a group of them working together, there’s always a chance that someone in that group will turn against them or is spying on what they’re doing.”

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the General has to say about it.” Al picked up his pace as they got closer to the edge of the village. “He’ll know what to do more and you or I would. This sort of thing isn’t new to him.”

Ed only nodded in agreement. There wasn’t much more he could say, and he preferred to go over all the information with Al once they were safely back in Amestris, in their hotel room. 

They left the small town behind and slipped away towards the border. The snow crunched under their feet, and the sun was starting to set. Soon it would be dark out and harder to see where they were going. When they reached the area, Al clapped his hands and opened up the small walkway that led through the mountains. His brother lit the lamps when Ed passed through. He then waited for Al to come and seal it back up. It would take them another half hour and then they would be back at Briggs. 

~*~

The heat from the hotel felt like a welcome relief. Ed couldn’t wait to curl up under the blankets in their room and sleep. They almost made it past the front desk when the woman standing behind it cleared her throat. Ed stopped and turned to look at her. She was a small woman with short straight brown hair and wore large, round glasses. She pushed her glasses further up and smiled at him. 

“Are you a Mr. Edward Elric?” When Ed nodded, the woman at the front desk handed him a note. “You received a phone call while you were out.”

Ed looked over the note. It only had one sentence with a time and phone number on it. _Call me at eight pm_ , it read. “Thank you.” He glanced up at the woman before heading to the room. 

They walked back to their room, taking the stairs again. Once Ed unlocked the door and closed it behind them, he glanced at the clock. It read five till eight. His timing couldn’t have been better if he had planned it. 

“So what now?” Al sat down on his bed. 

“I’m going to call Roy and let him know what’s going on. We can go over some things after.” Ed picked up the phone and moved it over to his bed. He was thankful it had a long reach. “Then we’ll see what happens.”

“He didn’t sound too happy when I last talked to him.” Al laid back and watched Ed get settled in. “He’ll probably complain about you sending me back and staying.”

“Probably.” Ed wasn’t too worried about it. Roy had said he could make those types of decisions, and he had made progress. That would count for something. “I think he’ll be okay with it once he finds out we’re getting somewhere.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Al had a feeling the conversation wouldn’t go quite as Ed planned. “He seemed pretty annoyed when I talked to him.”

“So you’ve said many times. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were trying to scare me off from calling him.” When Al rolled his eyes, Ed shrugged and picked up the phone. It was now a minute to eight. Pulling out the piece of paper the clerk had given him, he dialed the number. It rang a few times before Roy answered with a swift hello. 

“Hi,” Ed wound his finger around the cord. “Just checking in with you.”

 _“How did it go?”_ Roy asked, cutting right to it, though there was a hint of relief in his voice. 

“I’m going to need more time.” Ed laid his head against his pillow and closed his eyes. “If we leave now then it could potentially mess everything up. That woman, Arctic Cobra, she wants me to stay for awhile.”

 _“How long do you think it will take?”_ Roy asked.

“I don’t know.” Ed ran his left hand down his face and sighed. “It took take a few weeks. It’s hard to say. The goal is to have me live there for a bit and become familiar with the people living there.”

 _“A few weeks is too long,”_ Roy replied, and his voice took on a mildly irritated tone. _“You only need to gather information and set up another meeting.”_

“I’m aware of what I only need to do, but isn’t it better if I can get something permanent figured out?” Ed felt like if he left now, it would be a waste of resources for Roy. 

_“Not if you’re going to be stuck there for weeks,”_ Roy answered and then sighed. _“Ed, there are so many things that could go wrong the longer you stay. It’s not friendly territory in Drachma.”_

“You think I’m going to get hurt if I stay too long?” Ed knew there were risks, and even though he felt it was worth it, he had to convince Roy to think the same. 

_“It’s a possibility,”_ Roy replied. _“The Drachman government will have more time to become aware of your presence. The longer you stay, the more you’re putting not only yourself, but Alphonse in danger. Stick to the basics and get out. This doesn’t have to be done in one shot. In fact, it would be prudent if I took my time with this.”_

“It could also lead to an opportunity missed,” Ed countered. “There’s no way this will be done in one go anyway. I’m not that good, not even close, but I think if I stuck around and lived in Drachma for a little bit, it would go along way to prove to them you’re serious about this. You _need_ this.”

 _“A week, Edward. Finish up in a week and come back.”_ Roy’s voice sounded strained even though he relented. _“Drachma is that last place you want to end up in prison. And that would be hoping for the best. Most likely, they would either kill you or interrogate you for information.”_

“Is there any place where prison sounds good?” Ed sucked in a deep breath and waited a moment before exhaling. “If something goes wrong, we’ll get out. Al is coming with me this time so I doubt they would be able to catch us.”

 _“Good because that’s why he’s there,”_ Roy added. 

“I know that, and I’m glad Al is here. It’s not like I wanted to leave him behind, but I felt that cooperating the best I can would be a good idea.” Ed glanced over at Al who only shook his head in resigned irritation. “She agreed to let him come back or else I wouldn’t ask to stay longer.”

 _“You have a week to get it sorted out.”_ Roy sighed, and Ed could almost feel his frustration through the phone. _“Is there anything else that I should know?”_

“Yeah. She kept asking for information from us. And she gave me a list of names and places as an act of goodwill.” Ed absentmindedly touched the paper inside his pocket. “I offered to show her some of the medical alchemy Al and I are working on. I figured that would be something safe. You don’t mind, do you?”

 _“No, though did she seem to be looking for something specific?”_ Roy asked. _“Does she want a list of names and places from me?”_

“She never said exactly.” Ed scooted up the bed a little until his hand touched the head board. “I tried to get a better idea of what she wanted, but I couldn’t get her to explicitly say what information she wanted in exchange. She did comment on you being an alchemist, though so maybe she does want to same exact thing in return.

“I got the impression that what she’s really after is some way to tell that your offer is sincere, which is why I sent Al back. I didn’t want to mess anything up. I also had an idea that maybe we could go with. If I’m staying there longer we could stay in that little house we had our meetings in. We can show her the basics to that medical alchemy, and go over more information, maybe set up future meetings with some of the other people named on the list. She had originally offered to set us up as doctors there, but if you only want us there for a week, I’m not sure that would work out. But maybe we could do that later on if you’re willing to have us come back.”

 _“A week is plenty of time to get that done,”_ Roy said. _“You’ll have a better idea of how safe it is to stay by then. And maybe, if it goes well, we can plan on future meetings. I am open to that. Perhaps she can have you and Al go there periodically as traveling doctors.”_

“I can probably get her to agree to that, no problem,” Ed confidently added. 

_“Sounds good. Is there anything else we need to cover?”_ Roy asked.

“No, don’t think so other than I don’t think I’ll be checking in while we’re in Drachma.” Ed heard Al sigh before getting up and leaving the room, most likely to go find food. He turned his attention back to his conversation. “So, how’re things going for you? You know, how’s work and whatnot.” 

Roy cleared his throat awkwardly. _“Work is… fine. The Fuhrer keeps us busy.”_

“Yeah, I bet.” Ed grasped for more to say so that he didn’t have to end the call yet but nothing much came to mind. “So, uh, yeah. Dunno. Oh, can you give my regards to Havoc. We’re not going to make the wedding after all since it’s only a few days away.”

 _“I’ll let him know,”_ Roy reassured. _“Good night, Edward.”_

“G’night, Roy.” Ed hung up the phone and sighed at how lame he felt. 

Even though he had asked for more time, a part of him was disappointed he would miss the wedding and that it would take longer before he could head to Central again. His body also felt tense; he needed to unwind for the night. Maybe once Al came back they could go over everything and play a game of chess. 

He got up and set the phone back on the table. Ed picked up his journal, sat back down on the bed, and started writing to kill some time, hoping that Al would bring him back something to eat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter should be good to go now. Also, I keep forgetting to say this, but thanks for the interest in the story so far! It's nice to know that people are reading it. I hope it proves to be an interesting and enjoyable chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Ed pulled the bag of goods tighter against his shoulder while he headed down the path to the small house with Al close behind him. With the deep snow, it took them almost two hours to walk to the store and back. They had settled into their stay at Drachma a few days ago and so far everything seemed to be going well. Their informant had already started working on getting them set up with Al as a doctor and Ed as his apprentice. 

She had sent them out this morning to a small general store a mile away to pick up some food and supplies to tide them over for the week. The man who ran the store said nothing about their different appearance but never took his eyes off them. Ed figured they could expect more of that until they proved themselves trustworthy. 

The house came into view. Though it was small, it was plenty big enough for the two of them. With only one bedroom, they decided to take turns with who got the cot and who had the floor. Arctic Cobra seemed to have another place where she slept, although she usually came back in the morning before either of them woke up. 

The weather, while still bitter, had settled now. The sun was out, which made it more bearable. He had never seen it so clear up north before. There had always been the threat of a snow storm looming nearbynfrom his past experiences. Still, he couldn’t wait to get inside near the stove and warm up. 

When they got closer, he slowed down. Something didn't feel right. It seemed too quiet, and the front door looked like it was open a crack. It struck him odd that Arctic Cobra would leave it ajar like that if she had to step out. Ed hurried ahead of Al to check it out. Hopefully, she hadn’t decided to abandon their agreement. Or worse. He didn't want to consider the worst so he pushed those thoughts away. 

Once he got to the house, he noticed that the door had been left open a little. He pushed it open the rest of the way and slipped in. Al followed him inside, and Ed let out a frustrated sigh. The fire in the stove had been put out, leaving the house almost unbearably cold. Ed could see his breath puff out in front of him and shivered. At first he thought the inside was vacant until he spotted a green cloak sticking out from behind the crates that were stacked on the far end of the room. 

He turned and looked to Al. “Stay there and watch the door. I’m going to check it out. If you see anyone, don’t let them inside.” 

“Okay.” Al followed his line of vision and frowned. “Brother, did something happen to her?”

Ed didn’t reply. Instead, he slowly made his way across the room, careful to keep an eye on the shadows cast by the small amount of furniture. There was no guarantee they were alone, and he didn’t want to take any risks while Al had to keep watch. 

Now that he had a closer look, the crates looked like they had been moved since this morning. A chill went down his spine before he even saw the blood. He maneuvered himself around them to get a better look. Arctic Cobra lay on the ground, in a pool of blood. It looked like she had taken a gunshot to the head and back. Ed refused to turn her around, knowing that she was already dead. Leaning down, he touched her arm. From the feel of the cold stiffness that had settled in, she had died not too soon after they had left. 

Turning around, Ed’s stomach hitched, and he vomited what little he had to eat this morning onto the wood floor. Wiping his mouth, he felt his stomach lurch again, but this time he was able to hold it down. He glanced back one more time, a part of him unwilling to believe she was dead but knowing the situation they faced had just gotten a lot more complicated and dangerous. 

“Al, we need to go, now.” Ed stood up, backed away, and turned around. When they both went to leave, they heard voices outside the house. “Shit, already?” 

“Yeah, looks like we have company. They probably either followed us or were watching us come back.” Al leaned back against the door and looked out the window. “Try to stay out of sight. I’ll distract them so we can make a run for it.”

“Tell me when to run.” Ed nodded and took his position on the other side of the door where he could open it and slip out. “Shit, Roy isn’t going to like this.”

“I think that’s the last thing we should be worrying about right now. Focus on getting out of here and safely back to Briggs. Then you can worry about what the General will think.” Al waited for a moment then softly counted under his breath. He pointed to the door and nodded his head. “Open the door.”

Ed turned the doorknob and opened it slowly. Al quickly clapped his hands and pressed down onto the floor. Snow and wind scattered in the front of the house and billowed up in the air, making it near impossible to see more than a foot or two in any direction. A path cleared and from what Ed could see, there were no signs of anyone in that direction. 

“Go, now!” Al pushed Ed through the door. “I’ll cover you.”

When Ed bolted from the house, he almost slipped as soon as his feet hit the snow. Righting himself, he made a sharp left towards the border and ran with Al’s footfalls close behind him. He could hear yelling, and it sounded too close for comfort. 

Up ahead, he spotted some men in the distance. Ed turned towards a small group of trees to the right of them and then stopped. He grabbed Al's arm and pulled them in that direction. Twigs and brush snapped against his face and body as they moved through the trees. Once he felt they had enough cover, Ed stopped. 

“They’re up there too.” He caught his breath and looked over at Al, who seemed as out of sorts as he was. 

“How many of them are there?” Al peeked at Ed from across the opening of the pines. 

“I don’t know,” Ed quickly glanced around and counted. “I think around twelve.”

It occurred to Ed now that he should have listened to Roy and finished up sooner. They’d safely be back in Central. Though, in his defense, every thing had happened so quickly. But even still, they had lost their one connection they had. There was no way they could stay in Drachma. Now, he and Al had to focus on getting back across the border. The trickiness of the situation would depend on how quiet he and Al could be before reaching the border and safely crossing it.

The path back to Briggs had Drachman soldiers stationed around it. From what they could tell, the current route would lead them a little east of Briggs near North City. They could probably double back around so that they ended up where Al had hollowed out a path in the mountain for them. But first, they needed to slip around the small group of men blocking their way.

“Let’s see if we can sneak past them.” Ed took the long way around through the trees, hoping that they would go unnoticed. 

With Al behind him, he tried to focus on what to do next. They didn’t have a plan so he would go with what they had and stick to the basics. He motioned for Al to follow him and pointed a little to the northwest. If they went that way, there’d be less of a chance of the Drachman men seeing them. 

When they broke away from the trees, Ed veered off to the right, making sure Al was close behind. At first they had no difficulty moving along without being noticed until one of the Drachman men happened to turn their way and then yelled to his comrades. 

“Shit, one of them saw us.” Ed dashed and rolled, grunting when snow got inside his coat and up his hood. 

Al clapped and pressed against ground repeatedly. All Ed saw were mounds of snow rise up from the ground. While it provided them with some cover, the men still kept coming so they kept moving faster, hoping to put some distance between them and the Drachman men. Ed could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Each time he heard a gun fire off a spike of fear went through him. He was pretty sure a bullet had come close to hitting his right shoulder. If they got caught out here, in Drachma, there was a chance they would be killed with no one to find them. 

Ed’s ankle twisted and he stumbled. Snow filled his mouth, making his head feel like it was going to freeze. He shook his head, sputtered, and then spit it out. Al stopped and started back towards him. Pushing himself up on his knees, he slowly stood only to notice one of the Drachman men had somehow maneuvered around behind Al. 

“Al watch out!” Ed could see the man sneak up from behind Al, but he wouldn’t make it in time. 

Still, he moved. By the time Ed was close enough to do anything, the man already had Al lifted in the air by the neck, yelling in Drachman. Al’s feet kicked back and forth while his hands tried to get hold of guy. 

Ed moved fast and kicked the man’s feet out from underneath him. Al fell the ground with a hard thump. When the man tried to get up again, Ed hit him hard across the back of the neck. Once he made sure the guy wouldn’t be getting back up, he went over to Al and lifted him up. 

“Shit! Are you okay?” Ed checked Al over while he sputtered and gagged against the ground. 

Al reached out and stopped him when the choking finally settled down. “I’m fine, okay. I’m alright. I should have used alchemy to get him off me. I’m sorry.” 

“Never mind that.” He checked Al over again, noticing the line of yellow bruising had already appeared, and then sighed. “We’re going back to Central as soon as we get to North City.” Ed stood up and held out his hand. “There’s nothing left for us here.”

“Are you going to put this in your report?” Al stood up and steadied himself out. He thickly swallowed a few times then brushed the snow off his clothes the best he could. “And I need to stop at Briggs first.”

“Yeah, I’m going to put it in.” Ed looked back towards where the village was located and frowned. Those soldiers had come out of nowhere. Something didn’t feel right. How did they know? “I don’t want to lie to Roy about it. He’ll find out eventually anyway.”

“Do you think he’ll blame us for it?” Al asked. 

“No, I don’t think he will.” Ed took in a few deeps breaths and let them slowly out. “He’s not going to be happy about it, but I don’t we’ll be blamed even if it is somewhat my fault.”

“It’s hardly your fault,” Al argued. “He didn’t have to allow us to stay, and I’m sure this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. I think he’ll be relieved we’re okay more than anything.”

“Let’s just get out of here.” Ed started walking towards Briggs. “Did you leave anything important behind back there?”

“No, I stored anything valuable with Karley, which is why I need to go there. All I had in that house was clothes. My IDs are on me.” Al rubbed his neck and coughed. 

“Same here.” Ed frowned, worried about whether or not Al had more than some bruising on his neck. “When we get back to North City, I’m taking you to a doctor.”

“That’s fine. I planned on getting checked out anyway.” Al moved slowly but kept up fairly well considering. “Let’s just get out of here first. We should be getting close soon.”

“We have to hurry regardless.” Ed pulled on Al’s arm to hurrying him up. “I don’t want anyone else trying to choke you or worse.”

“He took me by surprise, that’s all.” Al sighed but kept walking as quickly as he could. “It won’t happen again. I was worried about you more than anything. How’s your ankle. That looked like a nasty twist.”

“That’s not how it works. I’m the older brother. It’s supposed to be me worrying about you. And it’s fine. I can still walk. It only hurts a little. Don’t think it’s that serious.” Ed stopped suddenly when he realized they had made it. The mountain of Briggs rose up in front of them. “C’mon, let’s go.”

“Up here.” Al pointed to where there was a slight indentation in the mountain. 

Ed followed until he stood in front of where Al would open up the tunnel they had made. He waited until it opened up and Al lit the inside. Sighing, Ed rubbed his thigh. One benefit to them leaving was that the cold wouldn’t bother his joints anymore. 

The opening closed so that only the dim light shown on the walls. He started forward, disheartened by what had happened. Telling Roy about this could make him lose his chance to be an informant, but he wouldn’t lie about it. That would only complicate their relationship more. Ed glanced over at Al, who seemed lost in his own thoughts so he pushed on, unsure of where this new development would lead him. 

~*~

Roy sat at his desk and read through the report Havoc had given him on the new Ishvalan Monetary Policy. He had written up the idea for the military to repay Ishvalans that were impoverished due to the civil war so many years ago. Grumman had seemed open to the idea so he sent the file to the Fuhrer's office last week. 

It couldn't have turned up on his desk at a better time. It had been two days since Al last checked in with him and said they were on their way to Central. The train should have arrived this morning, but he still hadn’t heard anything from either of them. Roy readily welcomed any kind of distraction that would stop him from thinking about the Elric brothers. 

Reading over the paper, he made sure that everything was in place and the language of the agreement was to his liking before signing off on it. It would require him to make another trip to East City in a week, but he could delegate some of the work around the office to take off for a bit. That would still leave him time to meet with Ed and get a better understanding of what had happened in Drachma. 

He pushed back his chair and spun it around to his window. The office he had since his promotion was far bigger than any he had before. A bit too large for his tastes and more than he had use for. The rest of his team were scattered about in the outer part of the office often leaving him alone in the silence of the inner office. 

Sighing he set his pen down and glanced at the bookshelves that lined the right side of his office. He could possibly get away with some reading after reviewing a few more papers, but there wasn’t anything on the shelves that interested him. Most of the books were references to laws or policies with a few alchemical research volumes mixed in. He had once tried to slip in some fiction only to have Hawkeye strongly suggest he take them back home with him. 

The clock, which was situated above the coat rack near the door, seemed loud in the quiet of his thoughts. Roy could hear the ticking and tocking clearly. He watched the big hand make its rounds several times before he sighed loudly, again and flipped his pen across the desk. It landed on top of his stack of papers with a thump. Roy glared at it unsure of what exactly he had wanted it to do but knowing that wasn’t it. 

The door opened and he looked up. Hawkeye raised an eyebrow at him. Roy grabbed his pen and looked back down at his paperwork. All the words on the page became blurred lines, and he had trouble focusing his thoughts long enough to retain anything. 

Hawkeye had seemed to sense his distress earlier and kept the paperwork coming all morning and afternoon. Even still, with all the distractions and paperwork to keep him busy, he found himself periodically checking the time or looking out the window. What made it worse: this was the third time today he had been caught screwing around instead of working. 

“Sir, constantly looking at the clock won’t make the phone call happen any sooner.” Riza shot him a particularly scrutinizing look. “And it will only make the day seem longer.”

Roy looked up to find Hawkeye now standing directly in front of his desk with her hands behind her back. He scowled. She moved fast. “I’m aware of that Lieutenant Colonel.”

“Perhaps you should take a break and stretch your legs a bit,” she suggested. “It might help ease some of the tension.” 

“That will only make it worse.” Roy rubbed his eyes before pushing the paper in front of him out of the way. “Anything new with the investigation in Creta?”

“No, Sir. They still haven’t sent any forms regarding their plans or when they want to reschedule negotiations,” Riza answered. “If you’d like, I can prepare paperwork to send them an inquiry.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Roy stood up, feeling antsy. Maybe he did need a breather. He pushed in his chair and walked around his desk over to the coat rack. “I think that I may take ten as you suggested.”

“That would be wise, Sir.” She followed him to the door and waited. 

Before he got out of his office, the phone rang. Turning around, he looked at the phone on his desk and then back at the door. When he glanced at Hawkeye, she nodded to him. Roy walked back to his desk and picked it up. “Hello, General Roy Mustang, how may I help you?”

There was a pause then a sigh on the other end. _“Sorry to call you at work, but Al said we were supposed to call as soon as we got to Central so that’s what I’m doing. The train just came in. Got delayed halfway here for a bit because—”_

“I’m glad you called.” Roy cut in. “It’s fine. The important thing is that you’re both back and safe.”

 _“Yeah, we’re definitely fine. Al got choked a little when we were heading towards Briggs, but he’s fine. Had a doctor check him out in North City,”_ Ed added. 

“Did anything else happen?” Roy asked, leaning against his desk. “Any other injuries?”

 _“No, other than a few cuts and scrapes and maybe some bruises,”_ Ed replied, his voice sounding tired and worn. _“Mostly that was from running and hastily coming back. Oh, I did sprain my ankle a little but it hasn’t bothered me since, and the doctor couldn't find anything wrong with it.”_

“Okay. That’s good.” Roy looked out the window and then at the clock. It read a quarter to three. He still had a few more hours of work to go. “I’d like to meet you tonight, around seven the usual place.”

 _“About that,”_ Ed’s tone was hesitant. _“Can we meet somewhere else? Somewhere more private? Sorry, not in the mood to be around groups of people tonight.”_

Roy glanced over at Hawkeye before answering. “We can meet at my house tonight then. Do you know where I live?”

 _“Yeah, I can figure it out. You gave me that information already before we went up north so I can find it,”_ Ed answered. _“So seven, at your place?”_

“Sounds good to me. Bring all your information with you so we can go over everything.” Roy ignored the disapproving look Hawkeye directed at him. 

_“Alright, see you then,”_ Ed said. _“Oh, and does Al need to come with me? I think he’s looking to stay in so he can catch up on some sleep and get an early train tomorrow back to Xing.”_

“No, he doesn’t have to come if he doesn’t want to.” Roy picked up the pen on his desk and toyed with it. “Is there anything else?”

Ed muttered something that he couldn’t make out before answering. _“I don’t think so. See you in a few hours then.”_

The line went dead before Roy could reply so he hung up the phone. Sliding back into his seat, he pulled what he had been working on back in front of him. “I think I’ll just stay here instead and finish up.”

Hawkeye said nothing, but Roy could tell there was a certain amount of disapproval for agreeing to meet Ed at his place. He understood her concern, but a few times wouldn’t hurt. And it wasn’t like he had to worry about the military line being tapped anymore. Those days had seemed to pass for the most part. Grumman trusted him and knew he had his own side projects. So long as he didn’t allow it to interfere with his job, Roy didn’t see a problem. 

“Sir,” She laid down a slip of paper on his desk. “I originally came to give you this message. It’s a reschedule for your meeting with the Fuhrer. He changed it from four today to noon tomorrow.”

Roy pocketed the paper. He had forgotten all about that meeting. “Thank you Lieutenant Colonel. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get through the rest of this alone.”

She saluted before turning around. Hawkeye quickly crossed the room and shut the door quietly behind her. Roy looked at the clock again, willing it to move faster even though he knew it was a fruitless attempt. Clearing his thoughts, he returned to the papers on his desk and focused. At least Ed had called. Now he should be able to get something done, and it would also help the rest of his pass by faster. 

~*~

Ed stood in front of Roy's house for a moment and took it all in. The house didn’t look big or imposing. It was a single story home that sat between two other houses. The outside had been painted white with black shutters, and the front door looked like it had been stained a deep mahogany. 

He hadn't planned on meeting here at first, but the thought of going to the bar with other people around only made the nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach worse. After what happened in Drachma, he wanted some time alone, but he also knew he needed to talk to Roy right away. This had been the best compromise he could think of.

Tucking the folder under his arm, he walked up the three steps that led to the front stoop, paced back and forth for a minute, and then knocked on the door. He could hear the light sound of footsteps on the other side. Ed took a quick step back and almost fell down the stairs when Roy opened the door. He grabbed onto the rail and righted himself before Roy had to help him.

“Hello.” Roy looked him over and frowned. Ed could only imagine he looked like hell judging by the expression on Roy’s face. “Come inside.”

At first he hesitated about going in. Roy stood there and patiently waited only wearing a dark blue shirt and loose black pants. Ed had never seen him dressed so casually before but decided it was a good look for him. An incredibly good look. Ed cleared those thoughts away and stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and took off his shoes. Noticing that Roy had shoes placed neatly in the corner of the entryway, he put them there. 

Slipping off his coat, he glanced at Roy. “Where do you want me to put this?”

“Here, let me take that for you.” Roy turned around and only then did Ed notice a small closet door. Roy hung it up and closed the narrow door. “Are you hungry?”

“No, I'm good. I ate already.” Ed waited until Roy led the way through the entryway and into the living room, which was situated to the right. On their way through, he noticed a small kitchen opposite of it. 

The room wasn't big but the lack of any decent amount of furniture made it appear larger, barren almost. A single leather couch took up the most space, offset by two small tables on each end. There was a fireplace near the far end and a large window that had dark blue curtains covering it. The hardwood floors felt cool under his feet. Somehow he didn’t feel surprised by the simplicity of it. 

“Guess you don’t entertain much here.” Ed looked around the living room and tried to figure out where to set up all his notes. 

“I have a small study if you’d prefer to go over everything in there,” Roy offered. “And no, I generally don’t bring people into my home.”

“Sure, if your study has a desk or table, or I don’t know… The kitchen might work if not.” Ed didn’t like the idea of holding all his notes on his lap. “Even the floor so I can spread it all out. It’ll make it easier for us to over it that way.”

“Let’s go to my study.” Roy pointed down the short hallway. “It’s the first room to your right. I can make some tea or coffee if you’d like.”

“Do you have anything stronger than that?” Ed looked away, not wanting Roy to see how unnerved he felt. “You know, something to help calm my nerves. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy.”

Roy watched Ed carefully, trying to figure out if it would be a good idea to offer alcohol. “I have some whiskey, though I must insist you only have a couple of shots at most.”

“Sure, fine.” Ed closed his eyes and exhaled softly. “That’s fine. Whatever works. One’ll probably be good enough anyway. I don’t really want much.”

“I’ll be along in a bit.” Roy turned and headed towards the kitchen. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Ed wondered down the hall and found the study easily enough. The ivory carpet felt soft on his feet as he walked across it. He noticed another fireplace opposite of the loveseat, though this one was much smaller than the one in the living room. Quickly glancing at the clock on the wall, Ed hurried to get everything ready. 

Roy was right. It looked far more efficient to use than the living room. Not only did it have a decent sized desk they could use, but with the loveseat and coffee table in front of it, he’d have no trouble finding a place for the notes. It was the perfect spot to go over his information with Roy. Ed sat down on the loveseat and began to spread out the information in front of him. 

He heard Roy come into the room shortly after he had everything somewhat the way he wanted. Two tumblers were set down next to the papers Ed had laid out. Both were half filled with whiskey. He waited until Roy sat next to him, and then realized how small the loveseat was. Their shoulders and knees touched slightly. Heat shot up his body, and he could feel his face warm. Clearing his throat, Ed pushed any distracting thoughts to the side the best he could. 

“This is all of it. Dunno where you want to start.” Ed slowly looked up and his breath caught for a moment with the assessing look Roy gave him. He wondered what it would feel like to be the complete center of attention under that gaze. “Is there… something wrong?”

“No,” Roy sighed. “Yes. Maybe.” He ran his hands down the front of his face before turning to Ed again. “I think it would benefit us both if we went over some things before we start.”

Ed had a feeling he knew where this was going. “Look, I’m sorry I messed up. If I had listened to you and came back right away, your informant probably would be alive still. It’s just that—”

“It wasn’t your fault, Ed,” Roy interrupted. 

That threw him off a bit. Ed hadn’t expected Roy to tell him that. “What do you mean?”

“You weren’t there long enough for it to make a difference. Whoever killed her most likely already planned on doing so. The only difference you leaving sooner would have made is that you wouldn’t have found her dead.” Roy steepled his fingers against his thighs. “I should have been clearer with my expectations. I should have explained things better. This is all new to you. You’re smart and you learn fast. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how young you still are. I’m sorry.”

“What does my age have to do with this?” Ed narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. He didn’t like where Roy was taking this. A dressing down he could handle. But be called too young wasn’t something he could properly deal with. It held too many other implications for him. “It shouldn’t matter how young I am. I’m an adult.”

Roy’s eyes widened a little at Ed’s reaction, and he had a slightly confused look on his face. Sure he had expected for some kind of irritated reaction but not with that much intensity behind it. “It does matter, Ed. I didn’t mean to offend you, but I have over a decade of experience doing this. I should have prepared you more. No matter how smart you are, there are things in life you can’t fully understand until you’ve lived them.” 

Ed felt his face heat up in embarrassment. “Oh, I thought,” Roy had a point that he couldn’t argue. “I thought you were gonna tell me I was too young to do this, that I was too young for it.”

“Do you still want to do this?” Roy carefully asked. “I wasn’t sure how you would feel considering your experience in Drachma.”

“Yeah, not gonna give up now.” Ed reached down and picked up his tumbler of whiskey, which shook a little in his hands. “That would make her death pointless.” He tossed it back in one go, relishing in the slight burn against his throat. He winced and then laughed a little. “You probably think I’m naïve.”

“No. I find it refreshing.” Roy smiled at him. “You’ve been through enough to realize that death is a part of life, but that doesn’t mean you have to enjoy the thought of it.”

“It’s also permanent. I think most people realize that, but it was something I didn’t always see that way.” Ed set the small glass down and put his hands on his knees. “For a long time I thought there was a way around it with alchemy even after all the trouble Al and I had. Even after our mistake trying to bring our mom back. Then I realized there’s no way to do it. Doesn’t matter how good I make an array. Won’t work.

“So, when someone dies, they’re gone. There are no take backs. There’s never gonna be another person like them in the world again. They had family and people who probably cared about them, regardless of how nasty they are. I can’t see killing someone unless there’s no other choice. That’s playing god, and that’s something humans are too imperfect to do successfully.” 

“Sometimes it is necessary, though,” Roy said quietly.

Ed chanced a look at Roy, and felt his body heat up again when he met with the depths of those dark eyes. He turned away, reminding himself that it wouldn’t be appropriate to stare for too long. “I know that. Why do you think I didn’t give you any real shit back in Creta? Doesn’t mean it has to feel good.”

“It almost never does,” Roy admitted. “I can’t deny there weren’t a couple times in my life where I felt some sort of gratification from it. Still, it’s nice to see that not everyone has walked down that path. I’m proud that you haven’t even though you could have.”

The conversation definitely wasn’t going like he thought it would. Having Roy say he was proud of him… Ed didn’t know what to say to that. He looked around the table for something, anything to grasp onto so he’d feel less awkward. “Uh, yeah. I guess so. Thanks,” he finished lamely. “Anyway, what now?”

“Let me read over the information you brought me and we’ll go from there.” Roy picked up the smallest stack of papers on the coffee table and began to look through them. “This may be useful at some point.” He handed Ed the paper that Arctic Cobra had given him with different informants’ names on them. “I’m not sure how to contact any of these people, but it’s something to look into. And you noted the places are where they meet?”

“Yeah, that’s what she told me. And I thought of that too. It might give us something else to go on. She was the only one who contacted you, right?” Ed leaned over so he could read the list as well. 

“She was, although Han may know of others. Perhaps someone else listed,” Roy moved his index down the paper. “It took over a year to get to where I was when I sent you. It could take as long if not longer to revisit this.”

“Sorry if I messed it up for you.” Ed knew that by losing their connection Roy would be set back, but he hadn’t considered the length before now. 

“As I said, it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t really change anything other than gathering information for me.” Roy continued to read through Ed’s notes. “She understood and knew the risk she was taking by talking to you. It’s risky work.”

“That’s a hell of a way to look at it,” Ed muttered. “I'm sure she had family who’ll miss her.”

“And I never said she didn't,” Roy replied, setting down that stack and picking up another. “But she also knew the risks and obviously felt they were worth taking. Ed, if she was killed that quickly then it wouldn't have mattered. The people who did it were already on to her. It would have been different if you and Al had stayed there for weeks or returned there for more negotiations. As harsh as it may sound, there's no other way to look at it. Not without driving yourself crazy.”

“Is that how you do it?” Ed asked. “Look at it like that?”

When Roy looked at Ed his expression appeared weary. “I don't have the luxury of putting my own personal feelings in the way when it comes to something like this. Whenever someone has something valuable to offer me, I can hardly afford to say no most times.”

“That's bullshit. I've seen you put your personal feelings out there if it's someone close to you,” Ed argued. 

Roy looked at him calmly. “You and I both know it doesn't work like that. You wouldn't feel the same about someone you barely knew in comparison to your brother or Winry.”

Ed sighed. Roy was right, but still, he hated that deep down he had also categorized other people's worth based on how well he knew them. “This is how it's going to be, isn't it.”

“No, not always. Drachma was probably not the right place to send you for your first time.” Roy put down the stack of papers that were in his hand. He shuffled what he had already read through into one larger pile and moved the few stray papers left next to it. “Or at the very least I should have prepared you better.”

“What now?” Ed asked again, watching the way Roy’s hands moved across the table in order to get it all organized. 

Roy picked up the tumbler and drank his whiskey. “That's up to you. If you’re serious and really want to continue it'd be a pleasure to have you on board.”

“Like I'd quit that easily.” Ed willed himself not to get embarrassed when he saw a pleased smile on Roy's face. 

“More whiskey,” Roy offered. 

“Nah, I'm good. One was enough.” Ed felt trapped between that odd moment where he felt like they had run out of things to say even though there was more to talk about.

“Tea sounds good then.” Roy stood up and turned to Ed. “Do you take anything in yours?”

“No. Sometimes sugar but preferably nothing.” Ed watched Roy nod and then leave the room. 

Sighing, he looked down at the papers in the smaller pile, wondering if Roy would look them over tonight or put them away for later. They had yet to really go over everything, though he wasn’t sure what else he could say. Maybe the meeting wasn’t supposed to last that long, and Al had already called Roy and gave him a brief overview of what had happened when they were still in North City. 

With Roy out of the room, time seemed to slow down a bit for him. And he realized how warm he felt. It was almost too much. Ed took off his outer shirt and tossed it next to him on the loveseat. He leaned back and tried to get comfortable while he waited. 

Then he noticed how tight his hair felt on his head so he reached up and pulled the tie out. Ed shook his head, ran his fingers through his hair, and smoothed it out until it laid the way he wanted it to. Yawning, he arched his back and stretched back against the loveseat as far as he could go. More time must have passed than he realized because he heard a slight shuffling sound and then a cough. He looked up to find Roy standing ram-rod still in the doorway, holding two cups of tea. 

The look Roy's eyes was one Ed knew all too well. Surprise along with an unknown budding awareness. He remembered the first time he had felt that way when he was in Xing. Only Roy had someone there to witness it. Ed almost stood up and went over to him but held back. Patience. He needed to work on that better. Now wasn’t the time. He knew Roy would only push him away. 

Roy shook his head a little, recovering much faster than Ed anticipated, and quickly walked back across the room. “Here you go.” He set the tea down on each end of the table, careful not to ruin some of the papers. 

“Thanks.” Ed turned his head away and smiled. It was there. He had seen it. There had been a flicker of interest. The surprise he could only guess came from Roy not being aware of it before. 

Roy cleared his throat. “Shall we get back to it then?”

“Yeah, sure.” Ed hunched over the coffee table. 

“Oh, hold on.” Roy leaned down and picked something up from the floor. He held out a book to Ed. “Is this yours?”

Ed recognized it immediately. His journal. And it had opened up when it fell. It must have come loose in his belt and fallen out when he took off his shirt. “Hey, that's mine.” He reached over and grabbed it out of Roy's hand. Then he felt a little guilty at his rudeness so he tried to smooth it over. “It’s my journal. My personal one.” 

Looking slightly affronted Roy slid back a little. “There's no need to worry. I can't read Xingese well.” When Ed only tucked the journal back into his belt, Roy continued. “I didn't know you were fluent in it.”

“What?” Ed shot him a confused look before the words sunk in. “Oh, yeah. I picked it up from spending so much time out east. At some point it seemed to make more sense to learn it so I wouldn't always need an escort to go anywhere or to buy things or order food. I'm surprised you aren't by now.”

“Well, I have picked up some words here and there but nothing substantial. Emperor Yao always speaks Amestrian whenever we visit, and he has all the documents translated for us.” Roy took a drink of his tea. “Even though I've always wanted to explore it more, there was never a need, and I always had other things to focus on.”

“Yeah, Ling is like that. He thinks by making it easier on us, he's doing us a favor,” Ed groused. “You know that they offer Amestrian in their schools now? Not only to royalty but all schools offer it. The linguistics of it is much easier than Xingese, but you could pick up fairly easy I think. Xingese I mean. You could probably learn it easy enough.” Then an idea came to mind. “I could teach you some if you want. A little here and there shouldn't interfere with your duties.”

“I think I'd like that very much.” Roy shuffled some papers around to keep busy. “If there’s time for it.”

“So, what're you going to do about Drachma?” Ed asked.

Roy looked at Ed carefully and then tilted his head to the side in thought. “Right now I don't think there's much to do other than try to keep the line of communication open if that's possible. I’ll need to contact Han and see whether or not he knows of anyone else who would be interested in exchanging information with me. If not then it's going to take longer than I originally anticipated, but I'll adjust to it.”

“Did you want me to go back to Creta for the time being?” Ed knew going back to Drachma was out of the question, but he really didn't want to stay put if Roy could use him elsewhere.

“I don't think that would be a good idea.” Roy turned to him and frowned. “Negotiations have been put on hold until they finish their investigation on what happened to us.”

“The Cretian government is investigating that?” Ed asked, surprised that it hadn't been wrapped up already. “That was over a month ago, and it's not like they have a lot of room to complain.”

Roy held up his hand. “It's fine, Ed. They won't press charges against you or me. Or at least I don’t think they will. However, I can't say it won't be dangerous for you there. Especially if you go alone. Somehow, they have your name and a picture of you. It wouldn't take much for you to accidentally disappear.”

“The hell it wouldn't,” Ed retorted. “They can't take me down that easy. And besides, I know a lot of people there.”

“Still, I think it would be best for you to stay away,” Roy gently explained. “I can't stop you from visiting there on your own time, but it would be preferable to me if you didn't so I'm asking you to steer clear until this blows over. Can you do that for me?”

“Sure. That’s fine.” Ed swallowed. He didn't like the feeling of confinement but also understood where Roy was coming from. “What do you have for me then?”

“Right now, nothing,” Roy replied. 

Ed scowled. That certainly wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “You sure you don’t need me to help out with anything. I’m not good at sitting around, doing nothing. Don’t wanna go back to Xing when I just visited.”

“Maybe you could go back to Resembool for awhile,” Roy suggested. “I’m sure the people there would love to see you.”

“Sure, I could do that.” Ed shrugged. “Winry is pretty busy, though. She’s got her own life going on. And we’ll be visiting there in a couple months anyway closer to her wedding.”

“I wasn’t aware she was getting married.” Roy looked at Ed with a strange look on his face. “How’s she doing?”

“She’s fine. Settling into her life as a mechanic well. She has her own shop and everything. And yeah, she got engaged a few months ago. I’m surprised you didn’t know, though I guess that explains a few things.” Ed really didn’t know what else to add. While he occasionally talked to Winry, Al had kept in touch better than he had. Still, the conversation felt awkward for some reason so he looked around the room eager to change the subject. “That’s a nice chess set you have.” Ed nodded to the chess board sitting on the desk. 

“You play?” Roy asked, a bit surprised. 

“A little. Al got me going on it a few years ago.” That had been when Al first found out. Ed laughed at the memory, earning a curious look from Roy. “Sometime we should play each other. See who’s a better strategist.”

Roy’s lips tilted up into a smirk. “I’ve been playing for a long time. Are you sure you want to go against age and experience?”

“Hell yeah! You might have me on age and experience but that doesn’t mean I won’t beat you.” Ed really couldn’t wait. For the first time tonight he felt excitement bubble up inside of him. Then something else on the desk caught his attention. A notebook with papers sitting underneath it. “Hey, what’s that over there? Work stuff?”

Following Ed’s line of sight, Roy caught on to what he was looking at. “Oh no, nothing to do with work. Those are some alchemy notes I’ve been putting together.”

“And?” Ed nudged Roy’s side. “Are you going to spill what you’re doing with them?”

“It’s nothing much, really.” Roy slid closer. “Only some theories I’ve been working on. I wanted to improve my alchemy a little so that it wasn’t so devastating when I use it. But with flame alchemy, I already have the control down. I know how to only injure or kill someone. Fire doesn’t do much else when you’re using against someone, even for defense. Even with absolute control over it. An injury will occur. There are little options when it comes to that.”

“So you’re looking into something else?” Now Ed really felt curious about it. 

“Yes, I am. It uses similar principles but the outcome is different. Instead of flames, I’m trying to work on how to use a combination of gasses to disarm any enemies,” Roy explained. 

“You mean like knock them out or?” Ed intently asked.

“Only to have them pass out,” Roy replied. “It would be just as efficient without worrying about a body count.”

“Do you mind if I look at what you’ve done so far?” Ed really wanted to see how Roy wrote out his alchemy notes and what they all contained. “Maybe, since I have some free time, I can help you out. You’re busy with work so it’s probably taking you longer than you’d like.”

“It’s actually something nice to do when I want to unwind.” Roy leaned back against the loveseat and put his arm across it. “I don’t mind you looking at them, but I would like to do the research myself.”

“Fair enough.” Ed tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice but failed. 

“Don’t worry. There’s nothing too exciting there. I’m sure you and your brother have already seen or thought similar things,” Roy gently said. Then he looked at the time and sighed. “I hate to cut this short, but I should settle in for the night and get some work done.”

“Oh sure, it’s already going on nine.” Ed glanced up at the clock in the room, surprised so much time had passed. “I should get back to Al so I can spend some time with him before he goes to sleep if he hasn’t already passed out by now.”

When Ed stood up, Roy followed, handing him his shirt from off the loveseat. “Thank you for bringing all this over tonight.”

“Sure, no problem.” Ed pulled his shirt back on and buttoned it up. Then he made sure his journal was securely tucked under his belt. 

They both walked out of the study and down the hallway. Roy got his coat from the small closet and handed it him. Ed put his coat on and slipped on his shoes. They both stood there for a moment, looking at each other. There was an awkward silence between them, and neither of them knew quite what to say. 

“Well, I’ll see you then.” Ed opened the door, turned around, and handed Roy the business card from the hotel he was staying at. “I’ll be in Central for awhile so if you need anything, let me know. I’m staying at the hotel on Fifth Street.”

“Okay.” Roy nodded and took the card. “I’ll call you if I have any more questions or maybe to play that game of chess.”

Ed grinned. “Yeah, do that. And then I can snoop over those alchemy notes of yours while I’m here.”

Roy watched Ed walk down the steps and onto the sidewalk. He closed the door to his home, making sure to lock it, and thought back on tonight. He had the information on what happened in Drachma, though there wasn’t much he could do with it except go over it all again and see if he had missed something the first time around. Ed’s notes were very thorough so it seemed doubtful that would be the case. 

And then there was that strange air between them. Ed’s behavior. It left him confused, and he couldn’t quite place why. He had felt that way on a few other occasions when Ed was around. But he would figure it out. Roy hated the feeling of slight confusion like he was knocked off his game. 

Ed had seemed out of sorts yet overall okay. At least by the end, which is how he wanted it. Though, Roy had to admit their conversations felt almost too personal and close. He had caught Ed looking at him strangely a few times, and tonight wasn’t the first time he noticed. It unsettled him in ways he wasn’t comfortable thinking about. 

But he was pretty sure Ed had checked him out tonight. More than once. Could that be why he offered to be an informant and was so compliant? That would mean Ed had put his life at risk for something that was unlikely to work out. Roy couldn’t reasonably go there. There were too many things that unsettled him about it. 

He leaned against the wall and let out a deep breath. When he had looked at Ed earlier his first thought hadn’t been what he expected. Not towards Ed. They had known each other since he was a child. Roy felt old more than ever and a little dirty. When had Edward grown up so much, and why hadn’t he really noticed before? 

Roy ran his hands through his hair and let out a shaky sigh, letting his thoughts clear. He pushed away from the wall and headed back towards his study to clean up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Learning curves. Gotta love them. The conversation between Ed and Roy ended up not quite what I had originally planned to write. I could not seem to get them to do what I wanted even now. Still, I'm happy with it. 
> 
> Once again, thanks for all the interest in this story!


	6. Chapter 6

Sunlight crept through the open curtains and across the bed sheets, spraying rays of light across his arms and waist. Ed found himself staring out the window in his hotel room for awhile. The soft ticking of the clock and his quiet breaths, along with and occasional car passing by were the only sounds he could hear. Already, the clock read eleven in the morning, and yet, he had no desire to move from the cocoon of warmth he had himself wrapped in. 

Al had left early this morning, and after a quick trip to the train station to see his brother off, Ed ate some breakfast downstairs, came back to the room, stripped himself down to his boxers, and spent the entire morning doing absolutely nothing. 

It felt good having no plans, but he knew he would only be able to stand it for so long. Boredom came easily for him. Too easily. Ed always tried to keep himself occupied if possible because when he didn't, that's when he generally tended to do something incredibly spontaneous and stupid. But none of the books he brought with him seemed interesting right now nor did he want think up new arrays. 

Last night he had written everything in his journal that he needed to, and he didn’t see any point in reading over it again. He threw his hand over his eyes and groaned. 

Ed knew what he really wanted. Going over to Central Headquarters would be a mistake. He couldn’t bother Roy while he was at work. Nor did he have a good reason to pop in and say hello. He should have purposely forgotten to give up all his notes last night. Roy wouldn’t hold it against him if he had left one small thing behind. Then at least he'd have something to work with. 

He nuzzled the pillow and pulled the blanket up closer to his chin. When the window started to bore him, Ed turned over, dragging everything with him, and stared at the wall. The one with the crappy picture of a blue flower in a yellow vase. He was pretty sure a six-year-old could've come up with something more interesting than that. Yet most hotels he stayed in had to put up something boring on the wall. 

Sighing, Ed closed his eyes and briefly considered taking a nap, but his mind wouldn't shut down. He could always invent some reason to stop by, but Roy would see through it. After last night, he felt that maybe Roy would prefer some space, though he really couldn’t be sure. And he didn’t want to come across as desperate for something to do, especially when he had been told there was nothing new for him right now. Wasn't he supposed to have things to do to occupy his time? 

Desperation sucked. Sighing, he opened his eyes. That’s how it felt sometimes. Almost like he didn't quite know where to fit himself into life or what he should be doing. Other times it seemed like there was too much to do with so little time to do it. Ed leaned up on his right arm and stretched out his left. Yawning, he rubbed his eyes with his hand and pushed himself up into a full sitting position. 

The blankets twisted around his legs until he kicked them off. He should research even if he didn’t want to, though with Roy asking him, very nicely, not to head back out west, Ed wasn’t sure what he could find in Central that would feel satisfying and new. There wasn’t a library he hadn’t picked through here already. And even though he hadn't been to them in years, he really didn’t think there would be much to intrigue him. 

Despite what he had hoped, the military had yet to utilize its State Alchemists for academic theories and research. Apparently, not many people were invested in exploring new alchemical possibilities. It seemed like a waste of talent to him, having all those alchemists at their disposal yet using them for military purposes because now that Amestris was at peace few were needed to do alchemy other than small city repairs. Maybe he could visit Roy later and suggest that to him. 

Ed pushed off the bed and stood up. He walked over to the window and looked down at the street. There were a few people walking by, and the streets were still nearly empty. In an hour or two it would pick up around lunch time. Maybe he would venture out then and see if he ran into anyone. He could call Roy and ask to meet for lunch, but then he came around to his original problem of coming across as too overbearing or needy. But they were friends, sort of so he could pass it off as a friendly invite. And he had ideas for the State Alchemist program.

Sighing, he rubbed the side of his head. Al had been right. He was making it too difficult for himself, and now that he had free time, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about it. If he called Roy and asked him out to lunch, he could pretend that he was interested in new information that may have appeared overnight. That seemed slightly suspect even in the privacy of his own thoughts. 

Even if it were possible, Roy surely would have called him if he needed anything or wanted to hang out. Ed blew his hair out of his face, and his fingers moved along the window pane while he watched the world below him. Last night had changed things. He felt certain something had shifted and now things were a little different between them, though it was probably small enough it wouldn’t be too noticeable yet to other people.

Which left him stuck with what to do with himself. He felt so cemented in one place right now, and almost everyone he knew were all congregated together in the same building, working towards making Amestris a better country. He turned away from the window and looked around the hotel room. Ed rubbed his stomach when it grumbled. He would call down and order some food, but first he needed to shower. 

Ed stretched his arms over his head, felt his back pop once, and headed to the small bathroom. Flicking on the light switch, he glanced at himself in the mirror. His hair stuck up in several places and looked slightly knotted. He picked up his brush and carefully untangled it. He had learned years ago that if he wanted to keep his hair long, he should never get into the shower when it still had knots in it. Once it got wet the knots were damn near impossible to remove. 

After he finished, he set the brush down and pulled back the shower curtain. He slipped off his boxers and tossed them into the corner. Ed bent down, turned on the water, and waited until it warmed up. When his fingers started turning a little pink, he pulled the knob back a bit and stepped in, reveling in the soft spray of the warm water. Ed soaped up the wash cloth and took his time washing himself off while his mind ticked off and disregarded different things he could do later today. 

His fingers moved along the scar tissue where he had been shot. Just one of many he had collected over the years, but this one was still fresh and new and still had an ugly pinkish color. It would take a couple of years for it to turn white and even longer for it fade. But it would always remind him of that moment in his life when he got it. 

While most people hated their scars, Ed felt almost grateful for his. It took him a long time to feel that way about them, but eventually he realized that each one told a different chapter in his life. It kept him grounded and reminded him of where he once was and the direction it had pushed him in. Roy had his own scars that Ed wanted to learn about more than anything. It would be a new piece of information to soak up, something he could tuck away along with everything else he had stored away. 

After he finished washing his body and hair, Ed turned off the water, pulled back the curtain, and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed both towels from the rack and dried off, taking extra time with his hair. His boxers were fairly clean still since he had put new ones on this morning so he picked them off the floor with his toes, grabbed it with his hand, and pulled them back on. Flicking off the light switch, he headed back out into the main room. 

Ed left one of the towel rest across his shoulders to keep it from dripping on his neck and picked up the menu for the small restaurant downstairs to read over. His eyes wondered over to the phone next to the bed. His eagerness and curiosity got the better of him when he went over to it and decided to call Roy despite any reservations he had. 

Having lunch together certainly couldn’t hurt, and the thought of eating downstairs with nothing to do didn’t appeal to him. Ed toyed with the idea some more while he stood there before deciding to go for it. When he dialed the number to Roy’s office no one answered. So he hung up the phone and tried the home phone number. 

He let the phone ring a few times before giving up. Sighing, Ed moved over to the bed and sat down. Maybe he would try later. It was close to noon, and his stomach started to feel nauseous from the lack of food so he grabbed some clothes, dressed, and headed out.  
~*~  
Roy snuck back into his office and closed the door. He had left only for about fifteen minutes to stretch his legs and get some fresh air. Fortunately, everyone else had been off on errands all morning. And it would likely stay that way for the rest of the week. Hawkeye would be the only person left around to keep him company. She had even disappeared for a bit after a phone call so he took the chance when he saw it. 

Even though he sometimes welcomed the constant chatter and camaraderie in the office, this week the silence proved much more effective for him. He had gotten more work done in three days than he normally did in an entire week because he had been able to focus properly. 

He slipped into chair and turned it around to look out the window. Today felt a lot warmer than it had all month. Soon the cold and possibly some snow would make an appearance. He planned to enjoy the nice weather while he could. Maybe tonight, if he left earlier enough, he would take a walk into town. 

Not soon after that thought, Roy heard the door open so he turned around in his chair. “Hello Lieutenant Colonel.” Hawkeye stood in the doorway with a file in her hand. He leaned forward and set his hands on his desk. “Do you have something for me?”

“Sir, Creta finally sent a copy of their investigation.” Hawkeye walked across the room and set the file down on Roy’s desk. When he didn't reach for it right away, she slid it closer to him. “I suggest putting it at the top of your list.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you.” Roy pushed aside the paper in front of him and pulled the file closer. Whether or not the new men’s restroom needed four urinals or five could wait. This was far more important and not something he thought would end up on his desk so soon. 

Hawkeye moved away from his desk and over to the bookshelves. She pulled down two volumes and tucked them under her arm. “How did it go last night?”

Roy looked up and held back a yawn. He hadn’t slept well after Ed left. His mind refused to shut down properly, leaving him to toss and turn all night. “It went well enough.”

“How is Edward doing?” she delicately asked. 

“He seems to be alright considering. I think he blames himself for what happen even though I told him it wasn’t his fault.” Roy knew that for all he said, it would take time more than anything else for Ed to be okay with what had happened in Drachma, regardless of what anyone else said. “But, he’s still on board so that’s something.”

“I see.” Riza stood in front of his desk for a moment before pushing further. “Do you feel he’ll be better equipped to handle something like this in the future?”

Roy sighed and pushed back his chair. “Yes, I think so. He was insistent on it in fact. And I think it was a learning curve for both of us, which is fine. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how young Ed is.”

“How do you mean, Sir?” Hawkeye frowned. 

“Well, I don’t know how to explain it, but Ed’s never really had a regular childhood. Not since we’ve known him.” Roy tried to think of the right way to explain because with Ed it was complicated. Sometimes he felt all too aware of how young Ed was, but other times the lines blurred. “He’s very smart and catches on quickly. Most people his age lag behind in that regard.”

“I see,” Hawkeye said. “I know what you mean, but even still, there are many things he still has yet to learn, and he has been out of the military for awhile now. It may take him some time to get used to this sort of work.”

“I know. At least he's not back in the military. He'll have much more freedom doing this, and he can stop whenever he wants. If he’s not comfortable with something I ask of him, I would let him refuse.” Roy smiled, thinking back on last night until his mind started digging into things he didn’t want to think about. He looked up abruptly. “It's strange, though because when he came over, he acted different than usual. I think that he may—” 

He stopped himself. What good would it do to tell Hawkeye about his suspicions? And surely some of what he remembered from last night came more from his own train of thought than Ed's. Most likely if he told Hawkeye she would discourage his current arrangement with Ed, and he didn’t want that to happen. “Never mind. I’m sure he’s fine.” When Hawkeye didn’t say anything, Roy glanced up at her and felt guilty for not finishing through. “That will be all.”

She frowned and stood still for a moment. Roy had half expected her to ask but when she didn’t, he felt relief wash over him. 

Hawkeye turned around before heading to the outer office. “If you need anything else, let me know.”

“Of course. Thank you.” Roy watched her go before turning back to the work in front of him. 

Carefully, he stacked and moved his other work out of the way and read over the document Hawkeye left for him. The investigation was still ongoing but no charges would be pressed considering the nature of the complaint Roy had filed. 

Ed’s name wasn’t mentioned so he would have to check and make sure they weren’t planning on trying him for anything, after all Ed wasn’t responsible for any of the deaths. It seemed unfair that he would be held accountable for what had happened. Still, before he could send Ed back to Creta, he wanted to be sure. 

Roy tapped his pen against the desk while he finished reading the report. Turning to the next page, he saw a list of names, people who were part of the investigation, followed by a signature. Really he hadn’t learned anything new other than no charges would be filed against him, which left him disappointed. He glanced over the names again and then once more. 

Setting down the paper, Roy went back to his work. Something bothered him, and his eyes kept drifting back to the document Hawkeye had given him. He pulled it back down again and looked it over. After reading through the names a few more times, he decided that he hadn’t missed anything the first time around… still, he couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of déjà vu. He hated that prickling feeling in the back of his mind like he had missed something important but couldn’t quite catch it. 

His hand unconsciously moved to push his bangs away from his eyes. Roy’s fingers tentatively tapped against the edge of the paper while he tried to get his mind to work out this new puzzle. One of the Cretian names reminded him of something he had seen before. Something he had read over recently. But looking it over yet again, Roy felt certain he hadn’t met any of them before. He almost never forgot names once he learned them. And yet…

Roy stood up and pushed in his chair. Grabbing his coat, he closed the door to the inner office. When he passed Hawkeye’s desk he stopped. “I’m going to take an early lunch. I need to run home and grab something.” He set the paper she had given him earlier on her desk. “Can you make me a quick copy of this while I’m gone?”

“Only one copy?” Riza took it and set it aside. “How long do you plan to be gone for?”

“Yes, only one copy, and I should be gone for about an hour.” Roy slid on his black coat and pulled on his gloves. “If I end up taking longer, I’ll call.” He turned to walk away but stopped and then grabbed the paper back from Hawkeye’s desk. “Actually, I should take the copy with me so I’ll get it.”

Maneuvering around her desk, Roy made a copy and left the original with Hawkeye. She only watched him move around the office but said nothing. After he left, letting the door shut harshly behind him, he quickly walked down the long hallway towards the stairs, occasionally giving a polite nod to anyone who walked by and saluted him. It all blurred together, another formality he had to go through to get from point A to point B. 

Roy left Central Headquarters and made his way to where he had parked his car. If he hurried and drove fast, he could make it to his house in ten minutes. That should leave him with enough time to check over the notes Ed left last night. There was something there, he knew it, but a part of him still hoped he would find nothing. 

 

~*~  
When he got home, Roy tossed his coat on the small table in the hallway and slipped off his shoes. Ed had given him a list of names that he needed to compare to the information Hawkeye had shown him. He knew that was where he needed to start. Whether it would turn up anything useful he had no idea. But considering that one form came from Creta and the other from Drachma… Roy didn’t want to think too far ahead until he could be certain. 

If this led to something more serious, he had no doubt Fuhrer Grumman would give him the okay and discretion to do whatever he felt necessary. Until then, he would keep it to himself and only share information if necessary. 

Hurrying down the short hallway, he almost bypassed his living room but stopped short. It still had his small whiskey tumbler that he had left there the night before. Roy quickly picked up it up and took it to the kitchen sink. There was small amount of coffee left in the pot so he pulled out a mug and filled it. Drinking it cold had never been his favorite, but he could use the perk up. Grabbing his coffee cup, he left the kitchen and headed over to his study. 

Roy opened the door to his study and walked over to the desk. Setting down the mug, he eased into his chair. He had put all of Ed’s notes in the middle draw where he could keep it locked up. He pulled the key out of his pocket and unlocked the drawer. Ed’s notes lay neatly stacked on top. 

Moving his chair up against the desk, he sifted through until he got to the list of names. Roy scanned down through and stopped when he reached the one informant. Ahlbyert Konn. Then he pulled out his copy he had made at work. Albert Cohn. While the names were exactly the same the similarities couldn’t be ignored. The possibility of a connection between Drachma and Creta made him uneasy. 

And the idea that the same person could have been working with the informant he had in Drachma left a nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach. How much would this man know about his plans already? How much would he know about Edward? Was he the reason why Creta had information and pictures of Ed? 

If that were the case then sending Ed to Drachma had been far more dangerous than he realized. To make matters worse, Roy would probably need to send him back to Creta at some point. There were so many ways for something like that to go wrong, but he also knew there were little options he could use. Ed had been out west so many times in the past few years and knew his way around. Plus, he had been the one to first discover the plan to assassinate Roy. 

Ed could always go undercover. While Roy didn’t like the idea, it was at least an option. The biggest problem with Creta was that they knew what Ed looked like. No one other than Alphonse had that same hair and eye color. He could easily take care of one while the other wouldn’t be so easy. 

He folded his hands together and sighed. This was something he should talk to Fuhrer Grumman about, but Roy knew better than to present an issue without having all the facts laid out. There were still too many unanswered questions the he needed to work out. His best bet would be to go in with a plan already in motion. 

Roy picked up the phone in the study and dialed. He still had a few favors he could cash in on, and now seemed like as good a time as any to use them. Though, the number he had dialed made him question how desperate he felt to get information. There would be a catch like always. And sometimes it hardly felt worth it, but his fingers had already done the damage and pressed in those six digits. 

Now he waited. When he got to the fifth ring, he considered hanging up and forgetting about it. But then he heard the click of the other line being picked up. Roy cleared his throat and when he didn’t get a hello, he decided to say something first. 

“Hello, I have a favor to ask.” Roy held the phone tightly to his ear. 

_“Are you home?”_ the man on the other line asked.

“Yes, of course.” Roy hesitated for a moment before he began. “I’ve come across a name I would like for you to look into. The specifics I’m looking for right now are whether or not there’s any connection to him and anyone from Drachma. Phone calls, letters, whatever you can find.”

 _“What do you intend to give me in exchange, General?”_ was the answer Roy got in return.

“Tell me what you want, and I’ll see what I can do.” Roy put his hand on his forehead and waited. 

_“I’ll let you know in two days. Do we have a deal?”_ the man asked.

Roy hated it when it came to this. Though, he had, many times, made his limitations clear. Sighing, he glanced at to clock to make sure he wasn’t running into work time. “Alright. It’s a deal. But you know what I won’t do for you so keep that in mind before you ask.”

 _“I’m well aware of your limitations, General. Don’t worry. If the information is easy enough, I won’t ask much from you this time.”_ the man replied. _“Who do you want me to look up?”_

“An Albert Cohn. He works for an investigation team through the Cretian government. Also, I need to know if there's any connection between him and someone with a similar name.” Roy spelled out both names quickly. “Did you get all that?”

 _“Yes. What kind of connection are you looking for?”_ the man asked.

“I want to know if there's a possibility it's the same person,” Roy explained. “For now that’s all I need from you.”

 _“Alright. I'll send you what I find as soon as I can.”_ Before Roy could say anymore the line went dead. 

Gently, he set the phone back on its cradle and sighed. It was getting close to noon. He had fifteen minutes left before he’d be expected in his office. Roy drank his coffee, placed Ed’s notes back in the drawer, stood up, and closed up his study. Before heading out the front door, he stopped by the kitchen and set his coffee mug in the sink. He grabbed his coat, slipped his shoes back on, and left out the front door, missing the sound of his telephone ringing. 

~*~  
The timer he had set pinged, startling him from his work. He reached over and shut it off. Rubbing his temple, Roy looked up to check the time. While it wasn’t too late, he wanted to get going to see if he could reach Ed. About two hours after his conversation earlier during his lunch hour, a packet was delivered to him. That gave him a place to start. Now he only needed to read through the information and get any plan he came up with moving forward. 

He opened the side drawer and pulled out the packet. It felt heavy in his hand, and Roy was sure that this much shouldn't have come to him this soon. The man was efficient, Roy gave him at least that much. No one else moved that fast.

Standing up, he walked over to where his coat had been hung and slipped it on. Roy turned out the light to the inner office and went through the outer, making sure everything had been put away for the night. When he was satisfied with what he saw, he turned out the overhead light, closed the door, and locked it. 

The hallways were darkened this time of evening and thankfully empty. Roy quickened his pace, pushed opened the stairway door, and made his way down to the first floor. There were still a few security personal near the front entrance. They saluted him as he walked past and exited the building. The walk to his car was a short one. 

Fortunately, he was known to sit in his car and read over what most people probably assumed was work. His reputation for slacking had diminished into rumors of him being a workaholic. Roy didn’t want to wait any longer. His mind itched to see what had been sent to him. Once he went through the packet he would know more. Then he could move onto the next step. If nothing came from the information, Roy would be just as happy to quietly dispose of it and move on. But if he found anything suspicious, he would try to take care of it quickly. 

He opened up his car door and slid into the driver’s side. After shutting and locking it, he opened up the packet of information and started to read through it. The majority of the information centered on phone calls leaving Creta made to Drachma. There were pages of them, spanning over the past few years. A few sheets near the middle of the stack had listed calls made to small bars and establishments in the Capital city and some smaller towns nearby. 

There were a couple sheets at the bottom that showed some calls going to Creta, but those were far fewer, which didn’t make sense to him unless the information wasn’t complete. The name Albert Cohn came up quite a few times, and there had been phone calls made from his office in Creta to a remote place in Drachma. Month’s worth of phone calls over the past year and half. While he didn’t recognize where those calls were going, he knew they were coming from the Capital City in Creta. 

The was also an interesting page cataloging Albert Cohn’s phone calls to a whorehouse in a remote town outside the Capital. That might be something he could use as leverage. 

Ed had been right. Roy had believed him and had been suspicious enough when he had talked to the officials about the incident with Ed, but he couldn’t be certain. Now he definitely had reason to believe that someone, for whatever reason, wanted him dead and most likely it involved not only one country but two. 

Other than his rise in the ranks, most people didn’t know about his bid to succeed Fuhrer Grumman. That was something he had kept to only a select small group whom he could trust. And Roy knew none of them would ever sell him out. 

That left many questions for him to consider. The most important of all was how he planned on handling it. He didn’t doubt for second that Ed would have any problem going back to Creta. In fact, he seemed almost eager to do so. In a way, Roy could understand that. After all, Ed had inadvertently caught onto this while doing research in the west, and it wasn’t like him to stay in one place for too long. 

Roy slid the information back into the packet and started his car. He pulled out onto the road and headed towards town. He needed a drink and maybe some time to look over everything again, though he doubted he had missed anything. He also needed a solid plan. If he did send Ed back to Creta what would he have him do? 

The whorehouse would be a place to start. It seemed that Albert Cohn regularly visited there after work if the phone calls were any indication. Ed couldn’t very well show up. Not with them knowing what he looked like, nor would it be easy to have someone like Ed lay low and not be recognized in that close of an environment. It would be indescribably inappropriate to have Ed go there only to be arrested. 

Instead of keeping straight, Roy turned left. If he stopped home first, he could make a couple phone calls. He also needed to contact Ed and let him know that they would have to meet soon. He pulled up against the sidewalk, turned off his engine, and got out of the car. 

Roy jogged up the walk and steps, unlocking his front door and closing it behind him. He set the keys down and went over to his phone. First he could call Ed and see if they could meet up soon. Picking up the phone, he dialed the number Ed had left for him at the hotel.

 _“Hello, Central Hotel, how may I help you?”_ the woman on the other line asked. 

“I would like to leave a message for a Mr. Edward Elric if possible,” Roy paused and then added. “Actually, if you could transfer my call to his room that would be helpful.”

 _“I’m sorry sir, but Mr. Elric left a few hours ago and asked us to take messages for him if anyone called,”_ the woman said. _“If there’s a message I can take down for you, I’d be more than happy to do so.”_

Roy sighed and closed his eyes. “Okay. Tell him Roy called and to contact me as soon as possible.”

 _“I’ll make sure he gets the message when he comes back. Is there anything else I can do for you?”_ she asked. 

“No thank you. That’s all I needed.” Roy hung up the phone and thought about what he would do next. 

Picking the phone back up, he dialed again. This time he would call an old friend who might be able to solve his problem with getting Ed in Creta without being recognized. 

~*~  
When he pushed open the door to the bar and stepped in from the chilly night air, Roy hadn’t expected for Ed to be there. But immediately, he had heard Ed’s laughter clearly over all the chatter. Glancing over to where it came from, he saw the small group sitting at one of the booths. Some of the women had gathered around the booth and listened intently. 

Ed sat on the end, with a chair pulled up to the table. His arms were waving through the air as he told them a story. Roy couldn’t help but smile at how animated he was while he recited a trip out East to the ladies. Someday he would have to remember to ask Ed about those trips out to Xing himself. Unfortunately, as of late, his time for small talk seemed severely limited. 

At least he didn’t have to worry about them missing each other tonight. It certainly saved him the trouble of tracking Ed down. After calling the hotel earlier, Roy figured it would probably be at least a few hours if not a full day before they’d be able to meet. 

He glanced over at the bar but didn’t see Madame Christmas there. Most likely she had to pull something from the back. Roy made his way over to where Ed sat and decided to make his presence known. Before he could say anything, a head of chestnut brown hair turned his way. 

Madeline was the first to notice him. “Roy!” 

The others turned and looked at him. Roy caught Ed’s eye for a moment before he turned his attention back to Madeline and smiled. “Hello. I’m not interrupting am I?”

“Your friend here was asking us about where we’re taken when we go on dates.” Vanessa reached over and patted Ed’s shoulder. “He’s an adorable thing. We might have to keep him for awhile. And some of the stories he tells are amazing.”

“Hey, I’m not adorable.” Ed scowled even though he could feel his face heat up at the compliment. 

“Hello, Edward.” Roy chuckled at Ed’s embarrassment. “I wasn’t expecting to find you here, but I’m glad I did.”

“Oh?” Ed turned his head and looked up. “Did ya need something?”

“Actually, I did want to show you something. I’m sorry ladies, but I’m going to have to borrow him for awhile.” They all let out round of disappointed sighs as Roy gestured to another booth. Ed stood up and grabbed the drink in front of him. “Join me, please?”

“Bring him back when you’re done with him,” Vanessa called out. “He still has to finish his story.”

Roy laughed, leading Ed to a few booths down where they would have some privacy. “They seem quite taken with you already.”

“Yeah, I’m sort of surprised, honestly.” Ed glanced back and waved. He had never expected for all of them to be so friendly and fun. 

“I think you’ll find them some of the most down to earth women you can meet in Central.” Roy sat down and waited for Ed. “I had no doubt you’d fit right in.”

“That almost seems like some sort compliment.” Roy only shrugged so Ed slid into the booth and set his coat down next to him. He decided to cut right to it. “What’s up?”

“So you were looking for dating advice?” Roy raised an eyebrow and couldn’t stop a smirk from appearing on his face when Ed’s own turned a lovely shade of red. The urge to tease was hard to resist even though it briefly made him question his analysis the other night. Maybe Ed wasn’t interested in him in that way. 

“Nah, it’s not like that.” Ed fought down the heat and embarrassment he felt. He knew Roy hadn’t called him over just to mess with him about that. He looked down at the table before glancing back up at Roy. “I mainly asked in case you would need me to take anyone out. Wanted to know what they did on their dates, stuff like that.”

“I don’t think that will happen.” Roy tilted his head, thoughtfully. Judging by Ed’s reaction, he didn’t feel he had been wrong. 

“Why not?” Ed scowled. Not that he necessarily wanted to do that, but still, if it meant getting information for Roy, it wouldn’t be so bad. “You have them do it. Why can’t I?”

Ed’s words took him by surprise. Roy hadn’t anticipated that Ed would think he’d have to do that sort of work. “It’s not that you can’t. I’m sure you’d do a great job with it, but women generally don’t pick up men in that way. I can’t see how I would ever need to you to.”

“Oh, well, I mean, they date but they don’t have to do more than that, right? They just go out to dinner or to the theater and that’s it from what they told me.” Ed kept his tone even. “Not that I couldn’t do more, but it’s just casual dates from what they’ve explained and doing more would feel weird. Anyway, maybe you don’t need me to that, but I don’t think it can hurt to be prepared.”

Roy shifted in his seat, unsure of what to say to that. On one hand, Ed was right. Being prepared never hurt, but somehow, even though it shouldn’t, it bothered him to think of Ed doing something like that. Maybe it was the fact that Ed seemed too young even though he wasn’t. Or perhaps he still felt somewhat protective and responsible for him. Any other possible reasons were pushed aside. 

“If you want to talk to them about it, I don’t have a problem with that, but there’s no need to over extend on this,” Roy finally said. “I can think of other ways you’ll be far more useful to me.”

Ed almost choked on his drink. While he doubted they were having the same thoughts, his mind immediately thought of things he probably shouldn’t think about with Roy sitting across the table from him. He cleared his throat. “Right.” 

He looked away and then back to Roy again. “Whatever you need me for. I agreed to help out. So long as you’re not asking me to kill anyone or do anything like that, it’ll be fine. Not that I think you would but,” Cutting himself off, Ed glanced down at his drink and took a swallow. It was only soda water but he needed something to keep from rambling. “Anyway, what did you really want to talk to me about? I know you didn’t bring me over here to harass me about dating advice.”

“I think I found something interesting with the notes you gave me last night.” Roy sat up and folded his hands together. 

“Really?” Ed bent forward and put his hands on the table so that he leaned halfway across it. “What did you find?” 

“Okay, first off, disregard the message I left for you at the hotel. I didn’t think I’d run into you tonight, but it’s probably better that I have.” Roy waited until they were both settled before pulling out a copy of the file Hawkeye had given him. “I’ve also included the list of names you brought back to me. Tell me what you see.”

Ed opened up the folder and pulled out both sheets of paper. At first nothing seemed off except both sheets had a bunch of names he didn’t recognize. Roy wouldn’t waste his time with something that wasn’t important. So he paid closer attention. Then suddenly something look strange, though he couldn’t quite place why. 

Glancing up, he saw Roy carefully watching him. “Something feels odd about it.”

“Look at it again.” Roy pointed to the papers in front of Ed. “It didn’t hit me at first either. I had felt the same way. Something seemed strange, but I couldn’t place exactly why.”

So he did, and it took him another read through to catch it. When he did, Ed blew out a low whistle. “Do you think… is this the same person?”

“I’m not certain, but it looks like there’s a good chance it is.” Roy pressed his index finger against the list. “I’ve been gathering information on this already. I’d like a few more days to work it all out, but once I do, I’m going to need your help.”

“Sure, I’m game.” Ed lifted up his coat and fished around the inside pocket for a pen. “Just tell me what you need.”

“Right now I can give you what I’ve learned so far.” Roy picked up the packet next to him and set it down. “Take this back with you tonight and look it over. I’m going to work on my end with arranging some meetings for you in preparation.”

“Is there something you have in mind?” Ed asked. “Something to start with?”

“Yes. It looks like you’ll be heading to Creta soon.” Roy waited to see if Ed would say anything to that. When he didn’t get a response, he continued. “I know I told you last night that would be dangerous so I’d like to make it so that when you go, you won’t be recognized immediately. I’ve left some information for you on that as well.”

“You mean disguise myself in some way?” Ed frowned, trying to think of how well that would work. He could possibly keep his head and face covered if he had to. 

“There’s a small town in Amestris along the western boarder that I want you to go to. I know a man who runs a bar. He owes me a favor.” Roy pushed the information across the table. “The bar, well, it’s dirty and the patrons often start fights with each other, and sometimes it gets pretty bad there, but—”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Ed didn’t really care what the bar was like inside so long as he could do what Roy sent him to do. “That won’t matter. I’ll still go. Do I have to worry about anyone trying to kill me?”

“No, but I want you to be prepared,” Roy explained. “So that when you go you’re not surprised.”

“I doubt it’d be more shocking than some of the things I’ve seen out East.” Ed was pretty sure his time in Xing had taken away any kind of embarrassment or shock value regarding most things in life. 

“Whether you’ve seen it before or not isn’t the issue,” Roy countered. “You’ll be in the thick of it this time, and that’s something completely different.”

“Okay, I get it, but what I meant was it’s all written down in the report, which I’ll read over, probably several times.” Ed didn’t see the point of going over information he already had in front of him. If Roy had advice, he wanted it to be something he didn’t know about.

Roy sat quiet for a moment and then cleared his throat. “The man who owns the bar is someone I’ve known for a long time. Once you find him, you’ll probably be fine. Just don’t talk to anyone else. He’ll help you out with everything you’ll need.”

Ed read through the instructions and then wrinkled his nose. “When I go in, I’m supposed to ask for whiskey with a shot of brandy? That sounds nasty.”

“You won’t be drinking anything close to that, but it will let him know that you’re the person I’m sending.” Roy moved in closer until his hands rested halfway across the table. “I can send someone else, but you’re the most familiar with Creta, and you’ve seen the list from Drachma so you already know a lot of the information I have so far. But first, you need to stop by this bar.”

“Okay I got it. It does make sense to send me, though. I’ve been watching some of them for months before the incident we had there.” Ed pushed the paper aside. “I know my way around, and I know a lot of people. Good people. If something would go wrong, I’d have places to stay and hideout until I could figure out a way back here.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Roy said.

“Sure, but honestly, I’m excited. Been wanting to get back to Creta for awhile now except you didn’t want me to go so I stayed back.” Ed picked up the pen next to Roy and twirled it between his fingers. “I hate letting stuff go. It’s felt like I’ve had unfinished business there ever since I left, and now that there may be a possible connection to what happened in Drachma, makes me wanna go even more.”

“Then it works out I suppose.” Roy tried to push aside the nasty feeling that he shouldn’t be dragging Ed into his problems anymore than he already had. But they had been through this before. If he cut Ed out now, he could risk losing a friend and risk losing information that he needed. Roy decided to push on. “Anyway, that bar you’ll be going to. The man there will be able to help pick a suitable look for you.”

“That’s that only reason why you’re sending me there?” Ed laughed. Admittedly, he didn’t know much about it, but he never expected Roy to set up a meeting so he could pick out a costume. “Doesn’t that seem a little too over cautious?” 

“Considering there isn’t a person other than Alphonse that looks remotely like you, no.” Roy hoped Ed would get what he was saying. “I don’t think it will be helpful if you go across the border as yourself.”

“So, I can’t just cover my head and face. I’ll need to go as someone else, and in disguise, probably with another name, which I’m picking this time because the last one was terrible. Does that sum it up?” Ed asked. 

“Basically, yes.” Roy gave Ed a slightly dirty look. “Though, I see nothing wrong with the name I picked out for you before.”

“It was lame,” Ed simply said and shrugged. “I know that the point is for me not to draw attention to myself, but still, Jonathon? It’s so bland.”

“Fine, okay. You can decide this time,” Roy relented, not bothering to point out that Ed’s name was fairly normal and common. “But honestly, it’s not the name that makes a person, Edward. It’s the person that makes the name.”

“Yeah, sure, still wanna do it myself. What else do you have for me?” Ed moved around in his seat, unable to fully mask his excitement. 

“Nothing so far. I know it’s not much. But you’ll be able to see all the calls this man made to Drachma among other things.” Roy wrote out something on a small piece of paper and tucked it into his pocket. “I’ll need a few days to get everything worked out. There will definitely be more information for you before you go. I’d like for you to be able to leave by Monday at the latest. But first I want to make sure we have a good plan of action. We’ll meet a couple more times before then.”

“Okay.” Ed put everything back into the packet. “I was going to head out soon anyway. Think if I walk quietly enough, they won’t notice me sneaking out?”

Roy stood up and smoothed out his coat. “They’ll definitely notice, but you can always blame it on me if you’d like.”

“Hey thanks, that awesome of you.” Ed slid out of the booth and put on his coat. He made sure he had all the information he needed and picked up the packet. They walked to the door side-by-side and quickly said their goodbyes. 

Roy held the door open for him as they left the bar. “Do you need a ride back to the hotel?”

“Nah, I’m gonna walk. It’s a decent night for it, and I feel too pent up to sit.” Ed turned to look over his shoulder. “Unless you need to talk about anything else?”

“No, I think that covers it.” Roy moved forward and held out his hand. “Thank you for all your help recently. I truly do appreciate it.”

When Ed shook Roy’s hand, he felt a slip of paper pushed into his. So he smiled and pretended not to notice. He pulled back and started walking, waving one hand back at Roy. “Have fun at work tomorrow, and I’ll see you around sometime.”

Roy watched Ed walk away until he rounded the corner before turning back towards his car. The last piece of information he had given Ed would set up their next meeting time. By then he planned to have everything ready to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't think I'd make the deadline for this one. February was a rough month. And a short one at that. Tons of things to do. Not even going to go there XD
> 
> March should be better.


	7. Chapter 7

The vender wished them a good day after Ed paid for their food, and they took their sandwiches from him. Roy had been watching him carefully the entire time, and he had to wonder what thoughts were going through Mustang’s head. Lately, it seemed to him that Roy might have caught on about certain things. In many ways, he felt thrilled over it. It would make things, in some ways, easier for him.

“We could eat in the park,” Roy suggested. “It’s not too far, and would save us the trouble of finding a place inside.”

Roy’s coat blew back in the wind, and he pointed in the opposite direction they had walked from. About twenty minutes had passed already, which didn’t leave them much time before Roy would have to take off, back to Central Headquarters. If they headed towards there, they could squeeze in a little more time, though the idea of eating in a park felt less formal. Ed stood there for a moment, thought it over, and then shrugged. 

“Okay.” Ed followed Roy down the sidewalk and pushed past pedestrians passing by. 

After a few minutes of walking, they veered right. The park was situated close to the road, but far enough away to provide a little privacy. Ed sat down on the first bench he spotted, pulled his coat tighter around himself, and scooted over when Roy sat down to give him more room. 

The bench was located near a small fountain that had stopped up for the year. A part of him felt a little disappointed it wasn't working. It would have provided a little more of an intimate atmosphere even if he was the only one who'd feel that way. 

He waited until they both were settled in before carefully unwrapping his sandwich. Ed had ordered a basic meat and cheese on a white loaf. Roy had ordered something that smelled delicious but seemed way too complicated for his tastes. Ed preferred simpler food and ingredients he knew by sight.

Shadows crept across the park from the trees that littered the landscape. The afternoon felt quite warm for late fall. Ed took a couple bites of his sandwich before resting it on his lap. Roy sat next to him, quietly finishing his own. After they had met at the bar last night, Roy called him this morning to see if they could meet later. 

Ed had felt ecstatic. The fact that he had been able to convince Roy to meet him for lunch seemed like a win in itself even though it was casual and only ended up consisting of them sitting on a park bench, eating sandwiches from a local vender. 

When Roy had first insisted they meet up again at least once before Ed headed out to the outskirts of West City, he couldn't pass up the opportunity to suggest lunch. And he didn’t mind complying with that request considering his time in Central had overall been boring, though he did enjoy hanging out at Madame Christmas’ bar. That was something to keep him busy and close to Roy. 

“So, tell me about this guy I’ll be meeting with. What’s he like?” Ed picked up his sandwich and took another bite while he looked out across the park at a group of birds that had congregated in the trees. 

“I think you two will get along well enough. At first he’ll seem imposing and serious, but once you get to know him, he’s very easy going.” Roy leaned back against the bench and stretched his arms out. “He used to work in the theater when we were teenagers so he can help you out with making your appearance different. He quite good at it.”

“Do you really think that’s gonna work?” Ed couldn’t help but feel skeptical. It seemed a little over-the-top to him. “Is it really necessary? I know you said it was, but I feel that it’s not going to matter much.”

“I think it will help a little.” Roy rested his hands on his knees and turned to look at Ed. “You’ll still need to keep a low profile, definitely no matter what the results are. I have thought a few times since our last conversation about sending someone else. But, unlike Drachma, where the terrain is new to anyone I could send, you’re the best person for this. And you have contacts there if you need to use them.”

“I’ve spent more than enough time in Creta for sure.” Ed nodded his head. “And you’re right. I do know quite a bit of people there. Like I told you before, it wouldn’t be hard if something went wrong for me to find a place to hide. I’ll try your idea, though, but, if it seems like it’s not gonna work out, can I say no?”

“You can say no now.” Roy gave him a scrutinizing look, tilting his head just so. “But if you’re asking if I’ll be upset about it, no. Not if you can’t make it work. I think what you can expect will only be a temporary change in hair color. Maybe a few other things. It will be enough not to raise suspicion if someone spots you from a distance or doesn’t get a close look at you.”

“So, I’ll wear a wig? Don’t those things itch like hell?” Ed scrunched up his nose. “Can’t I just… rub some dirt in it or something?”

“Surely, you can’t be serious.” Roy laughed at the thought of Ed actually doing something that crazy. “Wouldn’t that be hard to get out?”

“Nah, that was a joke, but still.” Ed grinned, and then the wind picked up, giving him a whiff of whatever Roy wore. “I don’t know what you use to wash yourself, but it’s distracting as hell.” He rubbed his cheek and looked the other way. “It always makes me lose my concentration.” 

“My apologies if it’s too strong and doesn’t smell good.” Roy frowned and looked at the back of Ed’s head. “Though, I can honestly say I’ve never had anyone complain about it before.”

Ed turned towards Roy and looked him over. “I never said it smelled bad. Only that it was distracting.”

They looked at each other for a couple minutes. Roy’s eyes narrowed a little, assessing what Ed meant by that. Of course if he were to be completely honest with himself, he knew already. At least he thought he did. The brief thought of coming right out and asking Ed passed through him mind, but he immediately dismissed it. If Ed did for some reason deny it, it would only make things uncomfortable between them.

In fact, this lunch date seemed to be exactly that. They had met, and Ed had insisted on paying for his food. So far they hadn't said much in the way of talking about what they had come here to discuss. Now Roy wasn't sure if more needed to be said or if more _should_ be said.

Shifting his legs so that he could find a more comfortable position, Roy turned to Ed. “Did you want to go over anything about your trip?”

Ed expression became thoughtful for a moment before he shook his head. “Not that I can think of. I read over the stuff you gave me. I already know what this guy'll look like from the information. I guess I'd like to know more about what I'll be doing in West City, but you already sort of covered that with me so... Did you want to go over anything?”

“When you get there, you'll be heading straight to Creta afterwards, right?” Roy asked, taking the lead.

“Yeah,” Ed shrugged. “Don't see any reason to come back to Central first unless you need me to.” 

“No, it will probably be better if you keep going. The sooner you get in and out of there, the better.” Roy crumpled up the sandwich wrapper and tossed in a nearby garbage can. “And this is only an information gathering assignment. I don't want you to get too immersed into what he's doing. You don’t need to do anything extra or put yourself into a position where you’ll get caught.”

“I got ya.” Ed finished eating his food and set the wrapper aside. He rolled over what Roy had said and thought about it some more. “So even if I catch a lead to something important that's something else besides what I'm going there for, you want me to ignore it?”

“Yes, I do,” Roy quickly replied. “If you come across anything important, note it and leave it alone.”

“What if it's a life or death situation cause I don't mind doing what you ask except if I find out that someone is going to try to shoot you and it's gonna happen soon, I can't guarantee I'm going to leave it be. I mean, that’s too important to ignore. Or I mean, what if, what if I have the chance to really get something good, you know? I can’t promise that I’ll let it go.” Ed figured he might as well get it out there in the open so that if Roy had any protests they could both hash it out now instead of when it became a problem. “But otherwise, sure I should be back within a few weeks.”

“Ed,” Roy said warningly. “I'm not sending you out there for anything else. You promised me you would cooperate.”

He turned and smiled a lop-sided grin at Roy. “I know, and I will, but I'm just saying that there are limits to what I can promise to do. The point is to help not set you back. I can't let something like that go. There's no way in hell.”

“Why not?” Roy softly asked. His worry never failed to amaze Ed. 

“Wouldn't you do the same for me?” Ed asked, trying to put it in a different perspective for Roy. “And besides, we both know you're too important to die. You still have to make it to the top, right? That's part of the reason why I'm helping you out. How would I be helping if I let something like that slide by?”

Roy leaned back and put his arm over the back of the bench. He looked at Ed for any sign that there would be something else hidden behind that statement. When no affinitive answer came, he turned away for a second before cautiously glancing back at Ed. “Are you sure there's no other—”

The church bell rang loudly, startling Roy out of his thoughts and what he was saying. He glanced across the road, up at the large clock on the outside of the church. “Dammit,” he cursed softly. “My lunch break is over. I should get back to work.” Ed stood up when he did. Roy pulled his coat tighter around his waist and buttoned it up. “Thank you for the sandwich.”

“Yeah.” Ed swallowed and then sighed like something, giving Roy the impression that his thoughts were frustrating him. “You’re welcome. We should... do it again sometime.”

“Haven’t we met up enough? I would think you’d be tired of seeing me this much in such a little amount of time.” Roy had meant it as a half joke, but then Ed’s eyes flickered over him and somehow it felt more serious than it should have. 

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” Ed glanced away before turning back to Roy. I mean, we seem to get along okay now, and we have stuff we can talk about other than work so these meeting won’t be a problem for me.” He sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “And we’re friends, right? Friends hang out on occasion to catch up. It’ll be fine.”

Roy felt certain Ed wanted to do more than ‘catch up’ with him but said nothing. Friends generally didn’t look at each other in that way. Friends didn't make small off-hand comments about how certain things distracted them, but not in a bad way. There was something about the way Ed seemed to be moving slow and cautiously that gave Roy pause. If Ed was interested in him, why hadn't he directly said anything yet? 

“Well, I’ll see you later then,” Ed said, bringing Roy from his musings.

“Call me before you leave for West City.” Roy turned around and started walking back towards Central Headquarters. He stopped when a thought occurred to him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Ed standing there still, watching him. “Oh, it's sandalwood. That's probably what you smell on me in case you were looking for some pointers for the ladies.”

When Ed's mouth turned down a little, Roy looked away and hid a half smile. That hadn't been the look of a man seeking dating advice. If anything, Ed seemed annoyed that he had suggested it. Roy started walking again. 

A part of him couldn't help but feel pleased that his suspicions were probably correct. Part of the puzzle had started to fill in, and he felt curious to where it would lead, and he couldn't resist poking at it until he had the answers he was looking for. Though, what he would end up doing with the information was another matter. 

~*~  
The bar stool felt hard under his butt in comparison to the seats in the booths. Ed had gotten so used to the nice cushiony feel of them that anything else seemed inadequate. But tonight, none of the women who worked for Madame Christmas were around, and Ed wanted to talk to someone. Madame Christmas never left her spot from behind the bar either unless she needed to go into the back room to pull out more alcohol. Roy wouldn't be around since he had mentioned working late before they had lunch earlier. 

Tomorrow Ed would catch a mid-day train out to West City and go from there. Tonight, he wanted to unwind and relax before he had to get back to business. It was going on ten o’clock, and he had spent most of his day perusing the Central Public Library to keep himself busy. He had even stopped by Havoc’s apartment only to find Havoc on his way out to dinner with Rebecca. After saying hello, Ed left them to it even though they had invited him to join them. 

A part of him was glad no one else had come; another part of him needed the distraction. So, he ended up staying here in hopes he could get that. 

“What’ll it be tonight?” Madame Christmas took a drag off her cigarette before flicking the ash into the ashtray. “Don’t tell me you’re going to order soda or water again?”

Ed laughed and scooted the bar stool closer. “What’s wrong with ordering either of those?”

“Kid, most people come in here to forget or celebrate something,” she said, blowing the smoke in the opposite direction of Ed’s face. “You come in here, regardless if he’s here, and order the strangest things.”

“Not much of a drinker. Had more than one bad experience drinking too much when I was in Xing.” Ed looked over the choices and thought about what he wanted to drink. “Learned my lesson after a few times of waking up and feeling like my stomach was trying to crawl out of my throat and into my lap.”

“Oh, really.” Her lips tilted up into a smirk. “Do tell. It’s slow tonight.”

Ed rolled his shoulders and grinned. “Not much to tell. They really know how to celebrate in Xing if given the right occasion. Add some Xingese rice moonshine to the mix and it'll knock you on your ass. The Emperor there takes every opportunity he can to try and convince me it’s a good idea to drink with him. 

“At first, I’d go along with it, mainly to humor him and also to get him to spill on some things. After the first time I got drunk, like really drunk enough so that I couldn’t walk straight, thought I really _had_ learned my lesson. Took me two more times of feeling like I had been rolled in a sac and beat up the next morning to finally give up on drinking too much. The last time was really bad too, and my brother got to witness most of it except a few really bad parts that’ll go to my grave.” He stopped and laughed a little. “It's too easy once you start to forget how to stop properly. The only time I ever have more than a couple drinks are when I'm with my brother because he has my explicit permission to kick my ass if I argue with him when he tells me to stop.”

“Don't stop there,” she insisted. “You can't say something like that and not finish. I’m really interested in your last experience. Sounds promising.”

“Oh, man, I really can't tell you. It's too embarrassing... and personal.” Ed picked at the one of the toothpicks that sat in a dish on the counter. “It was one of those things that happen, and you hope no one else ever finds out about it even though your shit-headed little brother did find out and wouldn't let it go for like... forever. 

“The last time, especially. Trust me, no matter much you think you wanna know, you don't. If I told you, your first thought will be, why the hell did he tell me about _that_? And then I'll have to tell Roy we need a new meeting place because I'd never, realistically be able to look you in the eyes again out of pure shame.”

“Suit yourself, kid. But sometimes it's good to get that stuff out when it's all over with.” Madame Christmas chuckled, leaned on the counter, and took one last hit off her cigarette.

“The first couple times weren't a big deal. Got drunk, threw up, woke up in an awkward position, somewhere other than were I supposed to be.” Ed grinned and then shrugged. “See nothing very different or odd about that.”

“Speaking of odd. You know who is a strange drunk?” Madame Christmas put her cigarette butt out and leaned closer to Ed from across the counter. “Roy-boy. I've seen that kid out-drink many people on many occasions yet still walk a straight line and remember where he was at. Of course, he sometimes likes to pretend he can’t walk. Particularly when he doesn’t want to talk to anyone, but for someone his size, he should not be able to do that. I can count on one hand how many times he actually got sick enough to throw up.”

That made Ed laugh. Once he settled down, he looked at Madame Christmas. “I can see that. Probably dangerous to not be able to handle his liquor with his job.”

“Nah, he’s always been that way. Even before the military.” Madame Christmas picked up a medium-sized glass and began to pour some liquid into it. “He’s always had that about him. The ability to still think and assess situations even when most people can’t. Even when he's stumbling, he still knows what's going on around him.”

“Can I ask you something?” Ed folded his hands on the bar counter and waited until he got a nod of approval from her. “What was Roy like as a kid?”

Madame Christmas finished making the drink and pushed it towards Ed. “Here, drink this. It won’t knock you on your ass, and it’s on the house.”

Ed eyed the fruity looking drink suspiciously. “This looks kind of… girly. And I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just that...”

“Well, there’s no one else here, and I won’t tell a soul.” She nudged it closer to him. “Try it. You’ll like it.” She waited until Ed took his first sip before answering his question. “Roy was a quiet kid, most of the time, though very curious. He could sneak up on a ghost if he wanted. Scared me a few times when I’d be in the middle of doing something only to turn around and have him looking up at me.

“He was always good at keeping secrets too. At some point he managed to gather his own little gang of friends where he’d try to orchestrate some of his ideas and put them into practice. They always ended up going along with him no matter how dumb the idea was, and he had some really stupid ones as a kid.” She chuckled. “He once got caught trying to sneak into one of the military laboratories only Roy ended up getting stuck in the air vent. His pants got snagged on the opening, and from his position he couldn't untangle himself. When they found him later, his legs were dangling out of it with his top half inside.”

“Really?” Ed started laughing so hard, he had to use his hands to brace himself on the counter so he didn't fall off the stool. When he finally got it under control he shook his head. “Can honestly say, never thought I'd hear a story like that. He always seems so stealthy and put together.” He took another sip from his glass. “I remember having some really dumb ideas as a kid too.” Ed set his drink down on the counter. “Though, I’m sure Roy probably didn’t do any lasting damage with his.”

“Not really. A few hurt his pride more than anything else.” Madame Christmas grinned at Ed. “But it never took him long to rebound and figure out a way to make it actually work the next time.”

“Was he always interested in alchemy?” Ed asked, curious about when Roy’s interest in it had started.

“No. He never really showed any signs of wanting to do alchemy until he was about ten. I took him to a showing they used to do here with local alchemists. They used to do them all the time when he was young so one day, I decided we’d go out and see what it was like,” she explained. “Different alchemists would come and show off what they could do. Once he got a taste of that, it was he talked about.”

“I've never been to a show like that. How come they don't do that anymore?” Ed asked. 

“The military put a stop to it. Started recruiting alchemists for their State program so many of them either joined or moved away so they wouldn't be hassled,” Madame Christmas explained. “At least all the good ones. Not many people wanted to come and see amateurs at work. But still, that one time had been enough to get Roy into studying it. It took him awhile to find someone who would teach him something he was interested in.”

“My brother and I started getting into to alchemy once we found out our mother liked us playing around with it. Helped filled in the gap left when our dad took off.” Ed finished the fruity drink and set the glass down on the counter. “We were young. Way too young to be doing something like that unsupervised. I hope when Al has kids, he'll remember never to leave them alone with an alchemy book and free time on their hands.”

“It couldn't have been that bad.” Madame Christmas looked at him doubtfully. “How much damage could two little kids do with that?”

“Ah, we didn't do anything terrible with it when we first started. Mostly, we used it to make our mom stuff. Then she died and everything changed.” Ed stopped and thought about how he could finish his thought. “Once we got a little older, completely different story, though if we hadn't done what we had done, probably never would've met Roy so I guess it all worked out.”

“Are you the type who feels that things always happen for a reason?” she asked him surreptitiously. 

“What? Hell no. All that fate stuff is complete crap.” Ed leaned back on the stool as far as he could go without falling off. “I've seen plenty of things happen to people that were messed up and had no other purpose than some asshole getting kicks out of watching others suffer. A lot of things happen for no reason unless you give them a reason. Almost like you put meaning to them or make them serve some purpose for your own peace of mind. It's a mind trick people play on themselves so they can deal with the shitty things that happen to them.”

Madame Christmas smirked at him. “I know what you mean, kid. You have a lot in common with Roy. He never likes to let things be or leave them to fate.”

“Well, it’s probably because we’re both men of science.” Ed felt his face heat a little at the thought of them having so much in common. “Alchemy doesn’t leave much to chance. Can’t afford to. And most things that happen, happen because someone made it happen. We’re one of the most reactive creatures in existence. People, I mean. We affect shit all the time whether intentional or not.” 

“I have to agree with you there.” She took his empty glass and set it below the counter. “Do you want something else to drink?”

“Can I have another one of those?” Ed asked. The drink hadn’t been too strong, and Madame Christmas was right. It was one of the best he had. “This’ll probably be the last night I’m here for awhile.”

“Oh really?” She picked up another glass and began to mix his drink. “Where’re you heading? Back out to Resembool?”

“No, gonna go out West for awhile. Not sure when I’ll be back.” Ed rested his elbows on the counter and looked down at the paper napkin where his last drink had been. “I have some things to finish out there.”

“He had briefly mentioned it the other day. Roy did, though he never said who he planned to send or when it would happen.” Madame Christmas set the second drink in front of Ed. “From the sounds of it, it seems dangerous.”

“Most things in life worth doing are. Or at least risky in their own right.” Ed used his hands to push away from the counter, tipped back the stool again, and grinned. 

“And the payout is almost always worth it so long as you don’t get yourself killed.” She frowned and gave Ed a disapproving look. “You shouldn’t be tipping the stool back. You’ll fall and then I’ll hear about it for the next two weeks.”

Ed laughed but did right the stool again. “I guess I’ll go easy on you them so you don’t catch any shit.”

“You seem like you could be a handful to deal with on the best of days.” Madame Christmas gave Ed what he could only describe as a shit-eating grin. “Good. You can keep Roy-boy in line for me.”

“Somehow I doubt you have trouble doing that.” Ed finished his drink in one go and set the glass aside. “How much to I owe you for that?”

“Don’t worry about it. Considering a going away gift.” Madame Christmas waved him off. “You heading out soon?”

“Yeah, I think so. It’s getting late.” Ed pulled out some money anyway and laid it down for the tip. “Thanks for the free drinks and for the company.” He stood up and made sure that the stool was back in the same place where he found it. Ed waved and headed towards the door. “If you see Roy, tell him I said, hey.”

“Sure thing, kid. Have fun out West.” Ed heard Madame Christmas say as he left the bar and started walking back towards his hotel. 

~*~  
Ed pulled out the address and double checked it before he pushed open the door went inside the bar and looked around. Like most bars, the inside was clouded with cigarette smoke and the smell of alcohol permeated everything else. Roy hadn’t been kidding around when he said the bar would be dirty and the patrons grisly. Nine-tenths of the people inside the bar looked like they hadn't seen a shower in a long time and did hard labor all day.

It reminded him of a place near Milos. The men who frequented that bar looked like something out of a cautionary tale from a children’s book only once he got to know them realized their appearance mostly had to do with working in the mountains all day. Other than an occasional whiff of body odor, Ed could ignore the rest. The town was poor and ridiculously small. It made Resembool look like a city. Mostly likely, the men here were minors too. 

Other than the patrons, the bar itself, even though it looked like it could use a new coat of paint and some upgrades, was fairly clean. Roy’s idea of dirty must be vastly different than his. Unlike Madame Christmas’ bar, the inside was small, and had about a half dozen tables and a bar counter with some stools around it. The dimmed lights only highlighted the seediness of it instead of creating a more intimate atmosphere. 

He took a couple steps across the cracked wooden floor. A couple of the patrons closest to him grunted and eyed him with suspicion. Ed ignored their glances and looked around to see if he could find Roy’s friend. The man owned the bar, but so far he didn’t see anyone behind the counter. 

Then a big man came out from a room behind the counter and set down a case. When he looked up, he spotted Ed and waved him over.

Ed walked towards the bar, ignoring the continuous curious stares he received. He held his head high, determined to get this over with so he could move on and head out to Creta quickly as possible. He pushed past a few people congregating near the counter, found an empty stool, and stood there for a moment. The bartender was busy with two other customers. 

Settling onto the old-looking bar stool, he waited for the bar tender to come over. Now that he had a closer look, the guy fit Roy’s description so Ed felt fairly certain he was the man he needed to meet. And Roy hadn’t been joking when he said the guy would look imposing. 

From the looks of it, he was over half a head taller than Ed, broad, with tattoos running down both of his arms, and a burly dark brown beard covering the lower half of his face. His dark hair was cropped short and stuck up on top. He had a somewhat serious look on his face while he talked to one of his customers at the far end of the bar. He wore a simple black tank top and black pants. The man reminded him of Armstrong in height and size, only not as exuberant and decorated with tattoos of snakes and dragons on his arms. 

Ed lightly tapped his fingers against the counter and looked at the small menu posted above where all the alcohol was kept. Mostly ales and other types of beer. There was also a small food menu listed next to it. He briefly thought about ordering something to eat from but when the bartender walked over to him, he decided not to. He could eat later. It would be better if he got what he needed to do out of the way. 

“What’ll it be for you?” the man asked, eying Ed up with the same suspicion as the other people here. 

“I’m looking for a glass of scotch with a shot Brandy.” Ed casually looked around the bar to make sure he wasn’t being watched. While he didn’t think it’d be an issue, caution seemed best. 

The Bartender nodded his head and then looked around the bar. He leaned in closer to Ed and kept his voice low. “Go through that room, the one to your right, around the counter, and I’ll bring your drink to you.”

Ed followed where the man had pointed and noticed a wooden door near the end of the bar that most likely led to a back room. He stood up and slipped past the men who had been talking when he first sat down. He looked around once more before opening up the door. He cautiously stepped through into a small storage area and closed it. 

There was a small wooden table and two chairs in the middle so he sat down on the one facing the door and waited. The room didn’t have a clock, and Ed hadn’t thought to bring his watch with him. He had left it in his suitcase, at the small Inn he checked into. Hopefully, his contact wouldn’t take too long.

But as time passed, it felt like he was waiting forever. Ed tried to be patient enough, though he couldn’t stop from moving his left leg up and down against the floor. It was a nervous tick he had developed over the years when he felt like he had way too much energy pent up and no where to project it. When he was younger, life hadn’t given him much time for pause so he never had an issue with it. 

The man opened the door and quietly shut it. He set down a drink in front of Ed and held out his hand. Ed took it and gave it a firm shake. They quietly eyed each other up for a moment. Clearing his throat Ed moved his hands back towards his body before stretching them out over the table and folding them together. 

“So you’re him. The one I’m supposed to meet with.” The man’s voice came out deep and friendly. He scrutinized Ed before a grin slowly made its way across his face. “A little scrawnier than I was expecting. With the way Roy went on about you, I had thought I’d be meeting with someone more… imposing, though you do look like you’re a scrapper.”

“No offense, but that’s not really whiskey with a shot of brandy in that glass is it? Because, I don’t think I want it if it is.” Ed gave the drink a once-over before cautiously turning his gaze upwards. 

“It’s only soda water with some coloring in it. If you want some real alcohol, I can do that for you but didn’t want to assume.” The man grinned at him again and sat down. “Name’s Darrel. Roy called and told me he’d be sending someone my way that could use a little help.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Ed gave him a courtesy nod of acknowledgement. “I’m Ed. And you call the General by his first name? Most people don’t do that.”

“That little bastard and me grew up together.” Darrel laughed, which startled Ed slightly. “Of course I call him Roy. I’m pretty sure he’d be ticked if I didn’t.” 

Ed laughed at the oddness of the situation. Here he was, sitting in a tiny room, in the back of some shit-splat of a bar, listening to a man Roy had grown up with talk about him as if he didn’t hold any rank. Ed had to admit, he wasn’t expecting someone so… jovial. Nor was he expecting Darrel to call Roy a ‘little bastard.’ At least he wasn't the only person to have the nerve to do that. 

“It’s true if you don’t believe me. Always the difficult one when it comes to his friends.” Darrel let out hearty chuckle. 

“Yeah, s’pose so.” Ed had said it to himself, and to Roy, but having someone else casually call them friends made his stomach churn in that way it always did when he thought of Roy for too long. “Though, never really got the impression that he stands on rank towards anyone who knows him. It’s something he does but it doesn’t define him as a person.”

“Sure, but have you ever seen him around someone he didn’t like?” Darrel asked. “Try having them call ‘m Roy and see how that goes, especially if they’re in the military. He once came here, passing through, and I got to see him dressing down an officer he didn’t particularly like. Then you’re dealing with a whole nother person.”

That made Ed think back to all the times he called Roy by his last name, among other things, and for the most part, it had been tolerated. He had gotten away with way more than he should have, but now, he felt he could appreciate what Roy was trying to do. Back then his pride and his inexperience had gotten in the way of a lot of things. That was how Ed had dealt with it. Through aggressive deflection so no one could see the damage underneath. 

Roy pushing his buttons and allowing him to get angry had helped ease him into military life. Ed would never forget that and how it helped him. Now he had the chance to return the favor and show Roy how much he appreciated the sentiment. 

“He’s right, though. Was right to send you here in general, but your eyes,” Darrel leaned forward and closely looked at Ed. “He told me I'd have a hard time fixing that one. I can help with the hair but not much I can do about your eyes, though there are ways to give the appearance of a different shade.”

“There’s no way to change the color of them temporarily?” Ed had hoped that maybe there would be something he didn’t know about that he could try. Some obscure trick he had never heard of before. 

“Not without blinding you or causing damage.” Darrel moved back in his chair. “There are old stories about how people used to use Mercury to blacken their eyes, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Yeah, no doubt.” Ed couldn’t imagine putting something like that on his eyes. “So, you said there were ways to give the appearance of a different shade?”

“Sure. On stage we use makeup to either enhance or subdue certain colors,” Darrel began to explain. “And you can wear a wig—”

“Wait a second. I don’t want to wear makeup. Won’t that make me look like a woman?” Ed quickly interrupted. “I thought the point was to have me go there in a regular disguise. Like put some different clothes on and something for my head.”

Darrel only patiently smiled at him. “I’m talking about stage makeup not face makeup. It’s something actors use too, though when done carefully, you can’t tell they have it on. The only thing it will do is give the appearance that it’s changed. If we darken or lighten your skin tone a bit, it won’t look the same. Same if we change the color of your hair.”

“And that’s it? That’s all you wanna do?” Ed asked, a bit surprised that it seemed that easy.

“I don’t think there’s much else to do,” Darrel answered. “Not unless you want to risk doing some damage to your eyes, which again, I don’t recommend.”

“No, I didn’t mean that. Don’t wanna do anything extreme, it’s just that, I’ve never done anything like this before so I have no idea what to expect,” Ed explained, folding his hands in front of him. “How do you wanna do this? Are we going to meet up somewhere else or…?”

“After I close down the bar, I’ll take you to my house unless you wanted to do it tomorrow,” Darrel said. “But I think the sooner we get it out of the way, the better.”

“I agree. I did check into the Inn already, but I don’t really need to go back there tonight.” If Ed went tonight then that meant he could head out to Creta sooner than he planned. 

Darrel stood up and shook Ed’s hand again. “You can stay in here if you want or out there. No one will bother you. It's going to be a couple hours before I close up.”

“I think for now I’m gonna stay here.” The thought of getting a few moments alone felt enticing to him. It seemed that lately, he had taken to surrounding himself in other people’s company more than he usually did. “The train was busy until it hit West City. And loud. I don’t mind sitting in here and waiting.”

“I’ll come get you in a couple hours then. If you get bored, just wonder around and make sure you’re back here around midnight.” Darrel opened the door and left. 

Ed folded his arms across his chest and blew his hair out of his eyes. He tapped his feet a few times, looked around the room, and then reached into his coat pocket and took out his journal and pen. Flipping open to the blank page, Ed started to write everything down from when he left Central. 

~*~  
Darrel’s home was set back from the road, near a small wooded area. After the bar had closed, Ed came back to stay the night and slept on the rickety old dingy green couch in the small living room. They had thought it’d be easier so that they could go through what Darrel had for him rather than have Ed go back to the Inn and try to figure out where he lived or set up another meeting time. 

Now that morning had come, and they had eaten breakfast, he glanced out the window of the kitchen and waited for Darrel to come back from the bathroom. Ed sipped on the black, bitter coffee, realizing how far away from town they had come. 

“Let’s go for a small walk.” Darrel opened to door and led Ed outside, around to the back of the house. “I keep all the stuff in a storage shed up over that tiny hill.”

Leaves crunched under his feet when the started up the hill. Once they made it about halfway up, Ed could see the shed. While it wasn’t huge, he had expected something smaller like the small shed Winry had to keep her gardening tools. This one was about the size of a small barn and looked like it could fit three of Winry's inside it easily. Darrel stopped once they both stood in front of the door. Unlocking it, he pulled it open and slipped through, with Ed at his heal. 

The inside of the storage shed had dust covering the floors and boxes. Cobwebs hung down from the ceiling and corners and throughout the room. There was only one large room that had been packed full of boxes and crates. Ed had to wonder why someone would take the time to store all this if they didn’t need it anymore. As far as he knew, Darrel quit doing theater years ago. 

Ed moved around the room, occasionally batting something sticky or dusty out of his face. He could hear Darrel close behind him and the sound of the door clicking shut. He put his hands on hips and looked around. “Wow, this is a lot of stuff.”

“This is where I keep it all stored.” Darrel moved to stand next to him. “As you can see, most of it hasn't been used in a long time.”

“Yeah, looks like all this stuff has been sitting around for years.” Ed took in everything, trying to figure out where to start first. “So… did you have something specific in mind or should we just start looking through the boxes randomly?”

“I don’t have anything in particular in mind, but I do know where we need to look.” Darrel led Ed over to the far end of the room, near the window, facing west. “Over here is where I packed away costumes and the like.”

“Eh, I don’t think I’ll need costumes.” Ed gave Darrel a side-long glance, hoping that was only Darrel letting him know what was back here and not a suggestion. “But I guess I can look into ‘the like’ part.”

“Good, good. I think something red would be best.” Darrel started opening the box in front of him. He paused and looked back at Ed. “Or, maybe brown. Hard to say at a glance.”

“I guess we’ll find out.” Ed waved away the flecks of dust from the box. Then a thought occurred to him. “I’m not going to have to cut my hair, am I? Because, I won’t do that.”

Darrel turned around and grinned at him. “I don’t see why you would. Women wear these in plays all the time, and they never cut their hair. We’ll just need to find one that’s a good color for you and that fits well. Your natural hair can be pulled up and tucked underneath the wig.”

“Alright.” Ed sat down on an old wooden crate, watching Darrel go through the box. “I’ll give it a try then.”

“Ah, this isn’t the right one.” Darrel closed the box back up and pushed it aside. He grabbed the box next to it. “This one should be it then.”

Ed rolled his eyes at Darrel’s back. “I’m sure one of them is the right one. Only a matter of finding it.”

“At some point we’ll find out, eh?” Darrel poked around the box before pulling out a couple round cases. “Here’re some of them. I carefully packed them away so they shouldn’t be too dusty. Although, you'll probably want to look in a mirror when you try them on.” He stacked four of the round hat boxes on top of a storage box. “Well, come take a look at them.”

“Right.” Ed stood up and brushed off his pants. He opened up the first box and pulled out the wig. “Well, this one’s blond so I don’t think it’ll work.” Setting it back down, he dug through another one. “Red would be interesting but dunno if it’ll fit. It looks really small, and the hair style looks too short.”

“Take it back with you and try it.” Darrel looked through the other two. “We’ll take these ones too. I think brown might work out decently enough, but we'll have a better idea of which will work best when you try them on.”

“Here, I can carry them.” Ed took to the other two boxes from Darrel. “Lead the way.” He stopped. “Oh, do you have a big enough mirror for me to look into? Maybe we should drive back to the Inn and do it.”

“I have something stored in my bedroom that you can use.” Darrel held the door open for Ed and locked it back up once they were done. 

“How come you have so much stuff still around?” Ed asked while they walked down the small hill and back towards the house. “You don’t do theater anymore, right?”

“No, I haven’t done that in a long time, but twice a year the town’s kids put on plays,” Darrel explained. “So, I just kept most of it. I have the room and it’s no bother. I usually only need to open a few boxes and it's enough.” He patted Ed on the back. “Good thing for you, I did.”

“No offense, but I’m sure Roy probably knows someone else who’s got all this lying around somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if he did considering he seems to know people who can do obscure things.” Ed sidestepped a dip in the ground. “Not that I’m not grateful, because I am, but you know how he is. He knows people you wouldn’t even think he’d know.”

“That’s true. He always did get around.” Darrel opened the front door for Ed. “Same old thing from when we were kids. Always able to get just about anyone to do something for him.”

Ed frowned at the tone of Darrel’s voice. He could hardly hold it against the man, and he didn’t, but the way he said that Roy got around needled him. It implied things he was already aware of but didn’t like to stop and think about for too long. That would only discourage what he wanted to do because in reality, Ed realized on some level that if Roy wanted to settle down, marry, and start a family, he wouldn’t try to stop him nor would he be able to. 

Pushing those thoughts away, Ed focused on the task at hand. First, he needed to concentrate on getting himself situated so that he could finish his job in Creta. When he got back to Central, he’d consider asking Roy out. It felt like the longer he waited the more opportunities would come by to push Roy further out of his reach. Sometimes he felt like he needed to slow and other times he could feel his chances slipping away. 

Ed followed Darrel past the small living room to the back of the house where the bathroom was located. The mirror in the bathroom was small, but he could make it work. “Okay, let’s do this.”

“Hold on. Let me grab something from my bedroom.” Darrel set down the boxes and left the bathroom. Soon he returned with a larger mirror in hand and chair in the other. “This will make it easier for you.”

After setting the boxes on top of the chair, Darrel opened up a cabinet and pulled out two tubes of something. Ed waited until Darrel set everything up and got situated before opening the first box. He picked up the dark red wig and tried it on. 

He stood in front of the mirror and looked at his reflection. “Okay, so red wouldn’t have worked well anyway.”

At first, it seemed a deeper red color would work, but instead of making the gold seem a different color, it only enhanced his eyes. Tossing the wig onto the chair next to him, he picked up the light brown one, which he liked because it would at least come down to a little below his shoulders. It was the longest wig and felt more familiar and comfortable to him than something shorter. 

When he tried on the light brown wig, it still seemed like the color of his eyes looked too gold, though not near as much as with the red one. Ed exhaled, frustrated. This one probably wouldn’t work either, though if the other wig did the same thing, he’d pick the one he liked the most and make it work the best he could. 

“What do you think?” Ed asked Darrel even though he thought he already knew the answer.

“I think you should try the darker one.” Darrel looked at him thoughtfully. “That one almost does it, but maybe something a little darker?”

“Was thinking the same thing.” Ed took off the wig and picked up the last one. 

The dark brown one was a little shorter, though it had a shaggier style to it and at least came below his chin. While it didn’t look bad, Ed couldn’t say he felt particularly attached to it either. But he put it on his head and adjusted it so that his hair was completely hidden underneath. When he looked into the mirror, he realized that this was the one he'd use. His eyes almost looked an amber color instead of golden. The color and style of the hair worked with his face and actually made him look younger. 

“I think we’ve found one that will work.” Darrel grinned. “How does it feel on your head?”

“It doesn’t feel bad,” Ed answered. “It fits well and hides my hair. How do I get it to stay on without worrying about it falling off?”

“I’ll show you how to glue it on around your skin without getting your hair caught in it.” Darrel moved closer and adjusted the wig a little. “There, that’s how it’s supposed to sit on your head. Looks good. I think when you’re ready to leave for Creta you should come back here and put it on so that there’s no evidence of you leaving the Inn looking different.”

Ed nodded. “That makes sense, but how will I get to the train station?”

“I can take you from here.” Darrel picked up the other two wigs and put them back into their boxes. “Do you have your ID ready? The one you’ll use for Creta?”

“I do. Right now, it’s at the Inn, but when I come back here tomorrow, I’ll be bringing all my things with me,” Ed replied. 

“So you plan to leave tomorrow?” Darrel asked thoughtfully.

“Yeah, will that be a problem?” Ed turned around. “I can leave the day after it will be.”

“It should be fine,” Darrel replied. “Though, I guess it will depend on whether or not I have time to figure out if I should try to lighten or darken your skin tone. We should try it and see if it works. If not, then that’ll be one less thing you’ll have to worry about.”

“We can try it, but is almost seems unnecessary.” Ed took off the wig and set it down. “I think the change in hair color will be enough. Every time I shower, I’m going to have to worry about reapplying that crap. Not that I mind if it will help, but it’s gonna have to make a huge difference or else I can’t see the reason for it.”

“Well,” Darrel put Ed’s face between both his hands. “Your skin has already gotten a lot of sun and you have a golden hue to it. I could darken it but it might make you look dirty with your skin tone. Sometimes stage makeup doesn’t work well when you’re already tanned. We will need to darken your eyebrows, though. You at least need to make it match the color of the wig.”

“Then show me how to glue this to my head and how to make my eyebrows dark and we’ll call it day.” Ed stood still and let Darrel look him over. “After that, I’ll be out of your hair.”

“It did go a lot easier than I thought it would.” Darrel let go of Ed’s face and picked up a medium-sized tube and a smaller one. “This is the glue.” He held up the smaller bottle. “When you come back tomorrow, you’ll need to clean your face and put this one,” he showed Ed the larger tube, “on your skin before we use the glue. That way when you take it off, you won’t have trouble pulling some of your skin with it. I'll dig around for some stage makeup. I'll be able to find something for your eyebrows.”

Ed nodded. “And you’ll walk me through it all, right? Not only putting it on but in case I need to take it off and do it myself?”

“You’ll definitely need to do that unless you plan on wearing it non-stop without washing your hair.” Darrel moved all the supplies to the side. “I’ll give you instructions since you’ll be wearing it for awhile.”

Ed turned the light out when they left the bathroom and headed outside to Darrel’s truck. He got inside and waited. It was still late morning, giving him time to work out a plan for himself while in Creta. Roy had plans for him, but he needed a back up in case he had to hide out or something important changed.

Darrel turned on the engine and pulled out towards the road. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah, I’m ready.” Ed rested his head out the window and looked out. 

The drive back into town didn’t take them long, though if he had walked he probably wouldn't have made it back to the hotel before noon. Neither of them talked until Darrel pulled up to the Inn. 

Ed opened the door and got out. He leaned into the open window. “Hey, thanks for all your help. I'll see you tomorrow at?”

“Sure, sure. It's no problem. I'll be here at dawn so that you can catch one of the early trains.” Darrel waved once before pulling away from the curb. 

The Inn was small and run-down, same with every thing else. There wouldn’t be much for him to do in there. So turned away from it, made sure he had his wallet, and started down the dusty sidewalk in hopes of finding some way to keep himself from getting bored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter. Didn't think I'd finish it tonight. Eight will be out before the month's end.
> 
> A friend of mine helped me to figure out what color would work best to make Ed's eyes look different by PhotoShopping some pics of him for me. May the porn gods bless her soul for putting up with my odd requests and not asking questions XD


	8. Chapter 8

The bathroom still stunk a little from all the things Darrel had done to him. Ed sneezed again from breathing it all in. The cream used to keep the wig on had been the worst of it. It had emitted a sour, tangy smell that he didn’t like. Now that they were finished, he was trying to ignore the rancid scents that assaulted him and come to terms with what he saw in front of him

Ed didn’t like the reflection staring back at him in the mirror. It had rendered him speechless and unsure of what to say or do. Darrel had cleared his throat a few times probably to dispel the awkward silence. Smoothing out his navy blue shirt, Ed sighed. He glanced behind him through the mirror at Darrel before looking back at himself. It felt weird seeing himself not only with different colored hair, but also darker eyebrows. 

Darrel had offered to darken his eyelashes, but Ed declined. He had seen plenty of men who didn’t look like they had much in the way of eyelashes. And making his eyebrows darker had taken the longest. He didn’t want someone else poking around with his eyes. Darrel had to crush up something, only mentioning it was a natural way often used to change hair or eyebrow color. Ed hadn’t bothered to ask what would have been used if he had agreed to all of it. He had gone along with this much it because it had been necessary. 

Time was ticking away, and Ed wanted to keep everything as simple as he could. He didn’t want it to take him more than an hour to get himself ready. Once he was in Creta, he really had no idea how long it would take him to get the information he’d need. The idea of doing this all over again, and probably for a few times, left a bitter feeling in the pit of his stomach. He also didn’t want the rain or water to be able to wash things off so quickly. If was bad enough his eyebrows would be stained for a couple weeks and would not wash out right away. Though that did have its benefits and would save him time later on. 

Darrel had spent about an hour going over everything with him and showing him exactly what to do. The process hadn’t been too bad and far less complex than he originally thought. It was the teaching and going over questions that had taken the longest. And the eyebrows, but at least that was only a one time thing. Darrel had told him that it would eventually come out but he would have to wait. He hoped it was at least almost gone by the time he’d be back in Central with Roy. Then maybe he could ask Roy out on an actual date. But for now, he was stuck with this, whatever it was. 

“What do you think about it?” Darrel asked him.

“Ah,” Ed turned his head to the side and then back again. “It’s… different. And it does make me look younger so at least that will help. They’ll be expecting someone older than I look. Other than that, it’ll be fine.”

But the reflection staring back at him unsettled Ed a bit. The wig fit him well. Even the shaggy hairstyle suited him to a point, though he did prefer his natural hair. Seeing himself with brown hair felt odd. It was almost like looking at a different person but not. It almost felt like he was trapped in someone else. 

“They won't recognize you right off. Maybe someone who knows you well and gets a close look, a really close look at that, but,” Darrel rubbed his beard thoughtfully, “Just randomly passing you or to people you don't know, it'll work.”

“Just as long as I don't get caught until I can get what I need. That's all I'm looking for. After that, I can work around the rest.” Ed took one last look in the mirror. He then turned around and leaned against the sink. “So what now? Is there anything else we need to cover with this stuff?”

“No. But, Roy wanted me to pass the message along to you that if you run into any trouble, you’re to contact me if you can’t get a hold of him, and even then, he’d prefer if you checked in with me as soon as you can since you’re to stop back here after you’re done in Creta.” Darrel handed Ed a piece of paper that had the number to his bar written on it. “I’ll meet you at the boarder, near Milos and pick you up from the train station once you do call me and let me know you’re on your way back. I don’t have a phone here, but I spend most of my day there so if you call, you’ll get a hold of me.”

He looked over the paper one last time before sticking it into his pants pocket. Roy seemed to want a lot of things, Ed noticed. He glanced up at Darrel. “I’ll contact you if I can. If not, then you’ll probably see me at some point. Or I can call you once I get back here.”

“Alright. I’ll keep that in mind.” Darrel looked at Ed thoughtfully. “You ready to go?” he asked. “Or do you need more time to get your things together?”

“No. I’m ready. I packed up and brought everything with me so we can go straight to the station.” Ed pushed away from the sink and stretched his arms over his head. “When does the next train leave?”

“In about a half hour,” Darrel replied. “Though, it won’t take me long to get you there.”

“That’s fine. It won’t hurt if you drop me off early. Let’s get packed up and ready to leave if you’re done with me. I’d like to take that one if possible.” Ed gathered up the supplies that were sitting on the chair in the bathroom and headed out towards the living so he could pack them in his suitcase with Darrel following close behind him. 

“Did you need anything to eat or drink before you leave?” Darrel asked as they reached the small living room. 

“Nah, I'm good. Ate this morning, and I'd rather get on my way.” Ed stooped to pack up the rest of his things. Then he stopped and looked up at Darrel. “Don't mean to offend if I did. You've been a big help, and I appreciate it. I’d have a lot more trouble going over there without all this.”

“It's no trouble.” Darrel waved his hand. “Roy already told me what to expect from you. You’re definitely quick and to the point.”

“Hopefully, the rest of what he told was nothing bad.” Ed put the last of the supplies in the suitcase and zipped it up.

“Not at all. Seemed to me like he's got a bit of a soft spot for you.” Darrel grinned. “Told to make sure you had everything you needed and not to let you get into trouble. And he also mentioned you’d probably be in a hurry to head west.”

Turning his head away, Ed did his best to hide his smile. It was nice to hear things like that from other people. It made him feel that he wasn’t wasting his time with something that would never happen. 

Once Ed got control of himself, he stood up and grabbed his luggage. “You don’t think I’ll have trouble getting on the train without a photo ID, do you? That was something we couldn’t do back in Central. I guess I left too quickly and didn’t even think to ask about it.”

“You shouldn’t. Normally, they only ask for the papers to cross the boarder here,” Darrel explained. “But if you do happen to run into trouble, call me and let me know. It may put you behind a day, but I can have that made up for you. You have the papers with your other name with you, right?”

“Yeah, definitely. And I’ll try it and see if it works. It’ll help if I can get a ticket for both ways so I don’t have to worry about this on the other end because they’ll definitely ask over there.” Ed walked to the door and waited. “They tend to follow the rules with boarder crossings in Creta.”

Darrel opened the door and they walked down the yard and to his truck. Ed opened the door and slid in the passenger seat. Once Darrel shut his door, Ed buckled himself in. The engine started and they were off towards town. He thought about making small talk to pass the time, but couldn’t think of anything to say so he watched the trees go back and the scenery give way to small rooftops of an occasional house. 

Soon Darrel drove them into town, and headed right, towards the train station. It didn’t take long for them to pull up against the curb. Ed sighed, undid his seat belt, and opened the door. 

He slid his body halfway and then turned to Darrel. “Hey, thanks again for all the help. If you happen to talk to Roy later today, tell him I’m on my way and will check in once I find a place to stay.”

“No problem and sure thing. I’ll let him know.” Darrel gave Ed a quick nod of his head. Then he reached over and stopped Ed for a moment. “I don’t what you’re doing out there, or what Roy has put you up to, but stay safe.”

“Yep. I will.” Ed closed the door and watched Darrel drive away. Turning around, he picked up his suitcase and jogged up to the ticket booth. Once the stout redheaded woman running the booth noticed him, he smiled. “I’d like a ticket to Altos, please.”

“Do you have papers to cross the boarder?” she sternly asked. 

“I do.” Ed pulled out the papers Roy had given him before he left Central and handed them to the woman. 

She eyed them over for a moment and then handed them back to him. “Alright. One ticket?” 

“Yes, please. I need one for both ways if you can. I only plan on staying for several days, maybe a couple weeks at most.” Ed felt relief wash over him that she hadn’t pushed for photo identification. 

She only frowned but stamped the paper and handed him the ticket. Ed paid for it and boarded the train. The first car was full of people so he walked towards the second. After opening up the door, Ed saw an open seat and sat down. He politely nodded to anyone who looked his way, but kept to himself. They were all nameless faces he’d soon forget tomorrow. 

Ed didn’t want conversation right now nor did he want to draw any unnecessary attention to himself. No one needed to remember how he looked now. If, for any reason, he needed to flee Creta, it would be better if he was someone they would easily forget. 

Leaning his head against the back of his seat, Ed looked at the ceiling and silently thought of different alchemic arrays he could jot down later. If any of them seemed like they would be valuable, he’d make sure to give them to Al the next time he saw his brother. Some of them he’d probably keep to himself and never tell anyone if he thought they’d be too dangerous to use. Al never wanted to know about those ones anyway. 

His eyes closed while he focused. The sound of the train starting and the engine pushing them forward, towards Creta lulled him into deep thought. Ed blocked out the sound of constant chatter and let his mind slip away. 

~*~  
After most of the people had left, Ed stepped off the train, set his suitcase down, and stretched the best he could to loosen his muscles. When his right hand brushed against his hair, it almost startled him. He had slept most of the way here so it had been easy enough for him to ignore the difference. It had been easy to forget.

The ticket booth stood to his left and opened up to the walkway that led out of the station and to the outside. There were quite a few people coming and going. Ed noticed a lot of them seemed to be heading out of the town of Altos as opposed to the few walking towards the exit. Even most of the people who had gotten off the train with him were headed to get another ticket for the next train out of here and to another town or city. 

He stepped off the landing and walked down a short set of stairs, which led out of the station. Ed brushed back some the hair that fell across his face. His own hair was much easier to control. At least then he only needed to keep it pulled back so it didn’t get into his eyes. But the hair he had on now was too short and layered to stay back in a tie. He could constantly feel pieces of it hitting his face and getting in his way.

After messing with it the best he could, even though he knew in a few minutes he’d be back to it, Ed continued down the walkway. When he reached outside the station, he stood for a moment and enjoyed the warmth and sunshine on his face. The weather out west was much warmer than in Amestris. Winter didn’t hit hard here and the fall season almost felt like mid summer back home. Generally, unless he was up in an area with mountains, Ed didn’t see snow here, which suited him just fine since wet and cold made his body ache. 

Reaching into his coat pocket, Ed pulled out the directions to the small city. He needed to find a place to stay first, and then he could focus on finding that brothel. If all went well, he’d be able to visit it tonight and check it out. It he got really lucky, maybe he would find his target there. According the man’s schedule that Roy had given him, Albert Cohn was due for another visit soon. 

A few people hurried by him suddenly and headed towards the city. Ed stumbled and almost fell when one particularly hard push sent him forward. Steadying himself out, he started walking again, towards town. He had never been here before. While Altos was near Milos, Ed had never bothered to come this way, let alone know the town even existed. When he had been busy with his research, he generally stuck to as far west as he could go. Things generally sucked for him the closer he was to the capital. 

All this time, it had been so close to where he had seen Roy a couple months ago. And Albert Cohn had been moving between this small town and the main government building. In the far distance he was even able to see the Capital City. 

As the town drew closer, Ed thought some more about his target, Albert Cohn. This was where that man came after work, most likely either by car or by train. He had a wife and no kids. It wouldn’t take him long to go back and forth to do whatever it was he came here to do. Though, Ed had a fairly good idea of what that was. 

In one of the pages, it had said, he traveled every few days here. And if he had read it correctly that meant he would probably come to Altos tonight. If something had set him back a day, he probably would have to wait until the weekend. Ed wanted to be there, tonight, waiting just in case, if for no other reason than to get a feel for what he’d have to deal with.

Ed quickened his pace until he reached the start of the town. He pulled his suitcase close to his body and looked around. There were a few businesses open as he passed by them. One of them looked like decent place to find food so he tucked that in the back of his mind for later.

A few shops down the street, he came across the first hotel and stopped. The paint on the outside of it had peeled and chipped away. The name was faded and he could barely read the sign. Old Hope Hotel. It looked rundown, but Ed decided to try it out. 

Looking around the street, Ed noticed a phone booth nearby. That along with the other smalls shops in the area would provide him with anything he needed if the hotel didn’t offer food or a way to call out. 

He put his right hand on the door and pushed it open. The first thing to catch Ed's attention when he stepped inside was the flickering overhead light that looked like it could give out at any time. In the corner, to his left, sat the small front desk with a morose looking blond-haired man sitting behind it. He didn't even acknowledge Ed and instead seemed more interested with the book in his hands. 

Ed veered towards him and cleared his throat once he stood in front of the desk. “I'd like a room for a few days.”

The man glanced up and frowned. “Sure.” He set the book flat down on the desk in order to keep his place. “Do you need a single or a double?”

“It's just me.” Ed set his suitcase down on the floor. “How much will it be for the night?”

“It's two hundred a night,” the man replied. 

Ed pulled out two bills from his wallet. Creta had an odd money system in his opinion but fortunately, it was nothing new to him and he knew how to use it. “Here you go.”

“It'll be room 109.” The man took the money and handed Ed a key to his room. “Through those doors and down the hall. Enjoy your stay.”

“Thanks,” Ed said as the man picked the book back up and ignored him once more. 

The doubles doors were heavy and opened up slowly. When he let them shut they made a loud clanging sound through the hotel. There weren’t very many rooms in the hallway. Only about five on each side. Ed made sure not to touch the walls as he walked by, looking at the room numbers. The hotel was small and not the cleanest he had ever been in, but he also didn’t notice any excessive filth or insect infestation. It would serve his purpose of a place to sleep and to get his information together. And if every thing went as planned he wouldn’t be using it much while here.

The phone booth he passed on his way in was an extra bonus. It would be costly, but the chances the hotel line went across the boarder were slim. Especially since this place didn't seem to have anything extra. He hadn’t even noticed a phone at the front desk, though he was sure there was probably one somewhere for the employees. He could have searched around for something better, but the idea of waiting to get settled in made a prickle of irritation run through him. 

Ed unlocked the door to his room and opened it up. Inside, there was a single bed and a little table near the wall with one chair pushed up against it. There were no crappy pictures hung on the walls and the dingy white paint had started to peel on them. Unlike most other places he stayed, there was no place to hang his coat. Only one small door to his left that had a bathroom with a single shower head on the opposite side of the toilet. 

He walked across the small room and tucked the suitcase next to the table, sliding it halfway underneath. After he called Roy, he planned to check out that one restaurant and see if they had anything decent to eat. Ed looked around once more, made sure he had his wallet on him, and then left the room, locking it behind him.

Quickly walking back down the short hallway, he opened the double doors, noticing the man behind the desk was still reading. Ed didn't bother disturbing him and instead left the hotel and went over to the phone booth. 

Gently, he shut the door behind him and turned the latch down so no one would be able to open it up on him. Ed put in the money to start the call and then dialed Roy's number. It rang a several times before he heard it pick up.

 _“Hello, this is General Mustang.”_ Roy's voice came through clearly. 

“Hey, it’s me. I’m checking in with you.” Ed held the phone close to his ear. 

_“How did everything go?”_ Roy asked. _“Did you have any trouble with anything?”_

“Nope. Made it safely to Creta. Outside the hotel right now.” Ed leaned his head back against the glass wall of the booth. “After I eat, I’m probably going to look for that place.”

 _“Be careful, Ed,_ ” Roy paused. _“And be prepared. Have you ever been to a place like that before?”_

“Uh, not really. I’ve been to bars but nothing specifically for that reason, unless Madame Christmas’s bar is that sort of place.” Ed didn't really think it would be the same, but he honestly wasn't sure. “I know Xing had places like this, but I never went to one.”

 _“No, it's not the same as that.”_ Roy sighed. _“Expect the worst from the people there. I have it on good authority that it's not the type of place any respectable person would dare enter.”_

“Okay, I'll be careful then. So long as I keep to myself, it shouldn't be too bad.” Ed frowned when an unpleasant thought came to him. “You don't think... I'm not going to be expected to buy anyone for the night, am I?”

 _“Of course not,”_ Roy began.

“No. I don't mean that you would expect me to do that.” Ed took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I meant the establishment. If I go there, can I get away with buying a drink or two and leaving or do you think they might want me to do other stuff?”

 _“If they do, leave,”_ Roy answered immediately. _“You can always follow him when he leaves or try to find another way. Don't do anything you're not comfortable with.”_

“So, if I was comfortable with it, you'd be okay with that?” Ed already knew the answer and didn't know why he had to push Roy's buttons sometimes. Maybe he needed the affirmation or just wanted to see what Roy would say or how he would react.

 _“No. That's not what I said.”_ Roy's voice lowered. _“You know better.”_

Ed chuckled. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that, but it's just that... Sometimes I guess I want to make sure I get what you mean.”

 _“And I think sometimes you enjoy agitating me,”_ Roy calmly pointed out.

“Maybe. But, really, it’s more,” Ed paused, unsure of how to word what he wanted to say.

 _“It’s more what?”_ Roy asked. 

“I don’t know. I guess it’s something I wanted to make sure I knew, you know.” Ed put his left hand on his forehead and smiled. “Sometimes it’s good to hear some things instead of only guessing at them.”

 _“It would help if you were clearer about what you’re trying to say,”_ Roy said quietly. _“If you’re wondering if it would bother me or whether or not I care, then yes, it would bother me. And I do—”_

“That’s not… Sorry, that wasn’t what I meant.” Ed leaned so that his forehead rested against the door. “It’s just nice to talk to you even about small things or uncomfortable things. And sure, maybe sometimes I do tease, but I don’t mean anything by it.”

 _“Ed, I think we should probably stay on topic,”_ Roy simply replied. _“Unless there's something pressing or specific you want to say to me.”_

“No. No. There’s nothing else. Not right now.” Ed didn't want to say anything like that over the phone while he was in another country. “And that's fine. I'm probably gonna run out of time soon anyway.”

 _“Keep me updated. I don't have anything else to really say right now. It'll be easier to go over everything once you find him and are safely back in Amestris.”_ Roy sighed again. _“Until then, keep a low profile and please, stay out of the Capital City.”_

“Yep. I'll be sure to call you once I have something new to tell you.” Ed looked out into the street. His stomach grumbled, reminding him it was time to eat. “Alright, I'm gonna go then. I'll talk to you soon.”

 _“Bye, Ed. Take it easy,”_ Roy said before the line went silent. 

Ed hung up the phone and opened the door to the booth. He stepped out into the warm sun and made his way down the street, towards the small eatery. 

~*~  
Glancing down at the address, Ed looked at where the street had led him. The area did not have a lot of people walking around, and those few who were around never took their eyes off each other. He had never seen a more paranoid group of people. 

When he had first come onto the street, he immediately recognized that most would probably consider it the bad part of town, which made sense considering the place he was looking for. The streets itself had not been properly maintained in a long time. Exposed brick peeked through patches of paved road. None of people here looked like they had a lot of money considering their clothes were worn, some with holes in them. Ed felt his wallet on the inside of his coat pocket. He would have to stay alert so he didn’t get pick-pocketed. 

Once he found the brothel, situated near an alleyway, Ed stood in front of it for awhile, trying to decide whether or not he wanted to go inside or try again tomorrow. If he that and missed his chance… the option wasn’t acceptable to him. 

The evening wind blew enough that he tightened the hood he put up over his head. Even with the wig on, Ed didn't want to his target to see him without it. At least not yet. Not until he felt he had everything comfortably under control. 

Ed grabbed the door knob and turned it. A bell jingled loudly when it opened and it almost stopped him in his tracks. He stepped halfway inside, holding the door open with his foot, and looked around. The inside of the brothel looked dingy and smelled like cigarette smoke, alcohol, and body odor. The usual fair he noticed in most bars. 

Women stood along the front wall, on display. The amount of clothing they wore was either cut low or lay in tatters over their private areas. Most of them looked like they hadn’t eaten or bathed in awhile. 

It was not lost on him, that while he mostly saw women, there were a few young-looking men standing around, and it looked like they were waiting for someone to pick them up. He had no idea a place in Creta would so blatantly offer that kind of service. It generally was something most people chose to ignore at best. 

As he fully stepped inside, he felt like fresh meat, the new person that would be devoured if he wasn't careful enough. The heat from inside caused a bead of sweat to trickle down his forehead, but Ed only brushed it away and left the hood up. 

His last conversation with Roy came to mind about how different it would be. Ed felt severely out of place here, but instead of turning around and leaving like he knew he could, he moved his foot away and let the heavy wooden door close behind him. 

Bracing himself, he took a few steps forward and tried not to stare at anyone around him. When Ed walked by, a few of them tried to coax him closer. He pretended not to notice them, and kept his eyes focused straight ahead of him. 

He had never experienced anything quite like this before. With Madame Christmas’ bar, the women there held a level of respect in regards to how other people saw them nor did it seem like they did anything different than most, and honestly, he wasn’t sure they did. Was it really any different with hanging out at Madame Christmas’ place and getting picked up for dates than what happened in many bars around Central? Ed had seen a lot of men go to bars to find someone to help them forget about their day. 

But the way this place was set up for this. It was blatant what they offered here. The overtness of it all made him livid. Ed pushed back his anger. He had to focus on what Roy sent him to do. He couldn’t allow his personal feelings get in the way and potentially ruin anything for him.

From the time he was little, he had always heard stories, and Ed knew that there were women and kids who had to live like this, many in order to survive. He had just never been directly exposed to it. Most of the women he knew could properly take care of themselves. Resembool would never allow it. Nothing really compared to this. Not even the Devil’s Nest in Dublith, and that had been bad in its own way. Greed had more class than this place, obviously, even though his crew had been considered the worst. 

Once he was done helping Roy out with this, he might have to see if there was something he could do about it. There had to be some violation here that he could find and quietly report it. No one would think twice of an anonymous report, carefully placed to the Capital. Some of the people who looked like they were working customers seemed way too young to be in a position for this. Roy had warned him it would be difficult, but he hadn’t expected the nasty, burning feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

Hadn’t he already saved the world once? Shouldn’t that be enough for him? But it never was. Every time he came across something that felt so wrong, Ed couldn’t stop his mind from coming up with ideas on how to fix it. 

Sighing, he pushed away those thoughts. He really couldn’t afford any kind of distraction right now. Despite the heaviness in his heart, Ed moved forward and kept his sights on the bartender. When he reached his destination, he sat down. 

The bar stool wobbled when he first sat on it, and for a second, he thought it would topple over on him. Ed waited until he was certain it would hold his weight before allowing himself to relax. He kept his hood up while he waited for the bartender to notice him. 

But the man only kept talking to another customer. Normally it wouldn't bother Ed except when he came through the door it had made a sound so obnoxiously loud that the man should have known someone new came in. His nerves were already frayed from the tense atmosphere, and it took all his self control not to let his hands shake, mostly out of anger. He felt antsy waiting around in it. His right leg began to move back and forth under the counter. Still nothing. 

His patience started to wear thin. Ed tapped his fingers against the worn counter and waited. If he had to actually call out and say something, it would ruin his attempt to not talk to anyone unless he had to. It would draw unwanted attention to him. But the bartender didn’t seem interested in him or possibly wasn’t aware he had sat down. 

Ed glanced around the area to get a look at the people surrounding him. No one appeared overly interested in him. Unlike the miners near Milos, no one in here looked like they came from a mining town nor did they appear to only be hard-working people looking to unwind. Ed had met people like this before in the slums of the Capital City. 

They were poor and most likely caught in culture they couldn’t and had no desire to get out of or didn’t know of a way. It was a vicious cycle that had turned him away from sticking around and helping out more often than not, though Ed wasn’t exactly proud of thinking about it. He had learned the hard way a few times that if someone didn’t want help, he couldn’t force them to accept it.

Someone behind him started coughing. Turning his head to his right, Ed spotted an older man, who sat at a table close by. The man coughed a couple times more before downing his drink. A scantily clad woman, who had no more than a light fabric covering her chest and waist, giggled at something he said. She seemed unconcerned that the man kept coughing all over her. 

Ed turned to his left and saw a young man and woman making out. Apparently, they didn't care who saw his hand move up her thigh and underneath her skirt. When her hips started to move forward, Ed looked away, and finally, when he turned back to the bar, the bartender was standing across the counter in front of him. 

“You lookin to buy?” the bartender asked. “If there was something you liked, just point to her, and I'll have her come over. Or if that’s not your thing, we do have other options for you.”

“No thanks. I’m looking to buy a drink.” Ed pulled out his wallet. “Other than that, no. Is that gonna be a problem?”

“Ah, I see.” The bartender looked him over. “You lookin for a job then?”

“I just wanna a drink and relax for the night.” Ed narrowed his eyes at the man. “If I like what I see, I may come back tomorrow and maybe then I’ll want something else but for now, I only want a drink.”

The bartender matched Ed’s gaze before shrugging. “Suit yourself, kid. I don’t care what you do so long as you don’t loiter around. If you don’t want to sample the merchandise, make sure you keep your drinks full.” 

“Fair enough.” Ed nodded his head once. “I’ll have some ale, please.”

The bartender put his hands on the counter and leaned forward. “That’ll be—”

“I got it.” Ed nodded his head to the menu hanging above and put the money down on the counter. “Thanks.”

The man took it and turned around to get him what he ordered. He set the ale in front of Ed and walked away. Apparently, unless he intended to buy sex for the night, he wasn't on this man's list of people to be concerned with. That was fine by him. He really didn’t think they’d have much to talk about anyway. 

He slid off the bar stool, stood up, and looked around for a more private place to set up for the night. He spotted a few booths at the far end of the bar, away from door and headed towards them. Ed settled into one of the booths in a darken corner of the room. From where he positioned himself, he would have a somewhat clear view of the door without being seen. Ed used the crack between the wall and the worn booth to leaned against and keep watch. 

Ed slowly sipped at his ale. He wanted to make it last as long as possible before he'd have to get up and get another one. He should have asked the bartender for a pitcher so he wouldn't have to worry about it. Now that he had settled into a comfortable position where he could keep an eye out for his target, he didn't want to risk moving and missing anything. 

At least he had something to somewhat keep him occupied, and soon the alcohol would dull his sense of smell enough that he wouldn’t notice how rank this place was. That would be a welcome relief in itself. 

Glancing at his watch, it read about half past eight. Ed shifted in his seat, took another drink of ale, and then leaned his head against the side of the booth. There was no one else back here near him and it was much quieter than near the bar counter. When he heard the door jingle, Ed leaned closer. Albert Cohn, or what Ed was sure was him, walked through the door. 

The man was dressed in a Creta military police uniform and fit the description Roy had given him. In the man’s left hand, he carried what looked like a work briefcase only it was much larger than any Ed had ever seen before. It struck him odd that Albert Cohn would carry a regular suitcase around. 

Ed paid careful attention to his mannerisms. He definitely seemed familiar enough to stop and chat with a few people on his way in. Before he got to the bar, he stopped, turned back around, and walked towards someone standing in the shadows. When they came out so that Ed had a clear view, what he saw took him mildly by surprise. 

Cohn was standing next to what Ed considered to be a young man, or teenager, though it was possible the creep kept it legal and only went after the younger looking ones. The kid had short sandy-colored hair and a lithe build. When they walked closer to the bar and past it, Ed realized they were coming his way. He also managed to get a better look at Cohn. 

Albert Cohn had dark hair, almost as dark as Roy’s. He was tall and stocky. Much bigger than Ed. His eyes had a sharpness to them, and when he walked by, he turned towards Ed, who quickly pretended to be interested in his drink. They reached the end of the room, turned back around and walked past him again before settling down in the booth directly behind Ed's. 

Cohn let his escort get settled in before walking up to the bar. Ed tried to look through the crack to get a better look at the young man, but could only see the back of his hair. When Cohn turned away from the bar and came back up to the booth, with two drinks in hand, Ed eased away and drank the rest of his ale in his glass. 

After Cohn sat down, Ed waited a moment before taking back his previous position. He almost bumped his head when he sat up and scooted closer to the back-end of the booth. Ed had a hard time hearing anything other than the constant background noise of people talking. No matter how hard he strained to listen, he couldn’t understand what they were whispering about. 

Whatever it was that Cohn had said, the young man leaned in closer and groaned. Ed felt his face heat up from obviously trying to listen in to something private. Something he had no business hearing. Still, he did his best to push any embarrassment aside and do what he needed. When nothing more came of it, he looked back at his empty glass. 

Standing up, Ed went to the bar to get more ale so that he could stay longer—this time he would ask for more to save himself another trip. He made sure that when he walked passed them his face wasn’t directly in their line of sight. He did however manage a closer look at the kid’s face. Even though he looked young, Ed was pretty sure he was legal. 

He felt relieved and disappointed at once. It would be harder for him to complain about this place if it was only a simple whorehouse, even if it felt degrading to him. His personal opinion wasn’t something he should use to against anyone here. This time when he reached the bar, it didn't take near as long for the bartender to come over to him. 

“I'll have the same only,” Ed reached into his wallet and pulled out more than enough money. “I'll take a pitcher. This should cover it and then some.”

Then man nodded his head, looking pleased with the amount of money Ed had left on the counter. He filled a pitcher for Ed and slid it across the counter. “Are you sure you don't need anything else tonight?”

“Nah, I'm good.” Ed grabbed the ale and made his way back to his booth. 

Settling in once more, he poured himself another glass and waited. Cohn and his escort were laughing and talking quietly. Ed kept his attention on what was happening behind him even though he couldn't really make out what they said. Briefly, he wondered what Cohn had in the suitcase he had carried in with him. To carry something like that into a brothel meant that Cohn didn’t want to leave it behind. Most people he knew would have left a work suitcase in their car or if they hadn't drove they would have stopped home with it first.

Unless Cohn didn't want to go home for some reason and had chosen to take a train to Altos. Still, it was something for Ed to consider. Maybe that was where he kept important papers he didn't want anyone else to see. 

Then he noticed that it had grown unusually quiet behind him. Ed finished off his ale and poured another. When he peered back through the crack, the booth was empty. Albert Cohn had left, with the kid. Closing his eyes, Ed rested his head in his hand and thought of what to do next. He had been an idiot to lose his focus even for such a short period of time. If he left now, he might be able to catch them. He finished his drink quickly, slid out of the booth, and stood up, leaving about a quarter of a pitcher left on the table.

It took him a few minutes to push his way back through. There were now more people than when he first came in. A few people called offers out to him again, but he ignored them. Ed pushed open the door and walked out of the brothel. The sun had now set and the air had chilled considerably since he first came to Creta. 

He stood there for a moment and looked around the street. Then he noticed Cohn get into a dark-colored car with his escort. The car wasn’t Creta standard military issue. It looked like a regular civilian vehicle. Ed didn't move but instead, leaned against the building and pretended like he had had too much to drink. 

Once the car started, he pushed away from the building, intent on at least seeing where Cohn was headed. The town was small enough that Ed could probably find him so long as he knew the general direction of where the car went. He kept his eyes on it as it pulled out from the curb and took off down the street. 

~*~  
Ed crouched, hidden out of the way. His legs ached from sitting in this position for too long. As much as he wanted to stand up and stretch himself out, he stayed put and ignored the burning sensation he felt. 

After he had followed Albert Cohn out of the brothel, he had gotten distracted by a mugging. It had happened almost immediately after Cohn had drove away. Ed had ended up letting the town police deal with it even though it had taken them awhile to respond. 

Once he managed to find his target again, Ed didn’t want to lose sight of him. Or at least he hoped he had found Cohn again. Unfortunately, it had taken him the better part of an hour to find the car that Cohn had gotten into. He was fairly certain it was the right one, though he had no way of knowing for sure. 

So Ed had crept into the shadows, into an alley hidden beside the old run-down motel and quietly waited. He also wanted to make sure that the kid with him came back out too. Ed didn’t trust Albert Cohn from the moment he first saw him. Could someone who lived as that man did, manage to have another life in Drachma? Going back and forth between countries would be difficult, but if he was the same person, and had something to do with the murder of Roy’s informant, Ed wouldn’t put it past him to get rid of some escort no one would likely miss. 

He couldn’t deny he had his doubts about some of that, although the fact that Cohn seemed to like men interested him. He felt it was something he could possibly use to his advantage. When he came to Creta, he hadn't expected this. Roy would kill him if he knew. And he didn’t look forward to turning in this report, especially if he had to pretend to be friendly with Cohn. 

Ed quietly sighed and shifted his position. He would have to be careful and make sure nothing went wrong and that he didn’t get himself into a situation he couldn’t get out of. Albert Cohn had the advantage of height and weight on him, which meant, if he did decide to go through with this new idea of his, he’d have to make sure he never took his eyes off the man.

For now, though Ed would wait for him to come back out. Which should be soon since it had already been well over an hour. The chill of the night air was starting to seep through his coat, but he felt sure his target wouldn’t stay the entire night. Not during the week when he had to work the next morning. 

Something moved out of the corner of his eye, so Ed carefully slid his line of vision towards it. A brown alley cat sniffed around the garbage cans that lined the outer brick walls. Ed watched the cat for another moment and then turned towards the motel again. 

When he felt a warm nudge against his leg, Ed absentmindedly reached down, patted the cat a few times before slowly pushing it away, knowing the action would probably offend the cat enough to leave him alone. 

Ed’s breath let out a puff of cold air so he pulled his hood tighter around his head. He had promised Roy he would send word soon as he could, and he fully intended to once he got a handle on this guy's schedule. So far, Mr. Albert Cohn seemed to follow the information Roy had given him. And so far, Ed had managed to observe from a distance. Unfortunately, staying at a distance didn't allow him to get closer to any information. 

If he wasn’t trying to keep his promise and not do anything dangerous, he would have been in the motel room by now, information in hand. Everything he had to do in order to keep the peace between him and Roy slowed him down. He had promised to do it right, though so he needed to harness his patience and build on that. Even if he didn't get any information tonight, he could try in a few days. 

The front of the motel door swung open, starling Ed out of his thoughts. Albert Cohn stumbled out into the open with his companion right behind him. Ed exhaled a relieved sigh. At least he had gotten the right vehicle, though other than establishing a pattern, he wasn't sure what good it did him.

Immediately, Ed noticed that Cohn still carried the suitcase. If there was any doubt before that there was sensitive information in it, there wasn't any now. Not when he drove. And at this hour why bother taking it into the motel with him? It didn't add up, and that needed to be his focus. If he did decide to meet Cohn in the brothel in a few days, he wanted to be able to get a hold of the suitcase and find out what the man was hiding. 

When Cohn got into his car and left without the kid, Ed frowned. He could possibly bump into the kid and pretend it was an accident, maybe even start up a conversation, but he didn’t know how to approach that without it coming across as suspicious so he didn’t move out from where he hid. 

Ed watched the kid count the money given to him before he headed down the walk and around the corner. Once he was alone, Ed moved out from the alley, making sure that no one was around. He brushed off his pants and pulled the hood down from his head. He pulled out a small notebook and jotted down the address of the motel before heading back the way he had come.

In a few days he would go back to the brothel, and he would see if he could strike up a conversation with Cohn under the guise of being interested in something more. If it worked out well, maybe he could go back to Central sooner than planned. And if he could manage to somehow convince him to take him back to a motel then he might be able to get a closer look at what that man was hiding in his suitcase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for almost missing the deadline. In retrospect, I realized I probably should have waited to finish that oneshot until after I finished this chapter. 
> 
> Next chapter will be out sometime in April. Again, thanks for all the support on this story! Much appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may have some parts that might worry some people. I just wanted to drop a quick note and say that this story is EdRoy and tagged as that for a reason so if there are bits that cause concern, it'll be fine.

Ed stood outside, in front of the whorehouse and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them back up, he pulled his hands out of his coat pocket and took a deep breath. The crisp air felt good on his skin, and he almost didn’t want to leave it for the stuffiness he would surely find inside. 

Tonight it felt far less imposing to him than it had before. He knew what to expect. He had spent the last few days thinking every thing over, and now he felt ready to come back. This time, when he opened the door, he didn’t hesitate to go inside. 

He wrinkled his nose up at foul smell of cigarettes, alcohol, and body odor. It still hit him just as strongly as it had a few days ago. Ed didn’t think anything other than living in day after day it would make him adjust to it. At least he had eaten already, though the shower he had taken an hour before coming here seemed pointless since he would probably smell like this place for the rest of the night. 

Now that he was here, entrenched in this place, Ed had to implement his plan or at least try. If he wanted catch Albert Cohn’s attention right away, he would need to stay out in the open and make himself accessible. Tucked into his coat pocket was a small pick hammer and small hunting knife. Ed wanted to be prepared not only for defending himself but he thought he might need something extra to open Cohn’s suitcase if the opportunity presented itself. 

When he started walking through the crowd people standing around not so many of them were as eager to catch his attention this time. They may have recognized him from before and realized he didn’t want to be bothered—though Ed felt it had more to do with the fact that he wasn’t wearing a hood over his head this time and probably looked too young. Or perhaps he wasn’t attractive enough in his disguise and with the hood of his coat down. Or maybe it was because tonight there were more people packed inside and other customers were around to catch their attention right away. 

Ed had dressed about as nicely as he could. He hadn’t bothered to pack anything especially dressy, but he did find something decent and wore a simple gray button down shirt and black slacks. His nice white shirt he brought with him was something he had gotten used to wearing around Roy, and he didn’t want to associate it with this place. 

After a few people jostled him around, he found a nice spot where he could weave in and out until he was several feet from the door. He should have anticipated that Friday would bring in more patrons. Fortunately, most of the people inside were standing around, talking and it looked like there were actually more open tables than before. That left him with enough choices to find a place to settle into and wait. 

Glancing towards the bar, he noticed the man standing behind it was the same guy from the other night. Ed confidently went over to the counter and waited. This time he didn’t have to wait quite as long and ordered the same thing. The man had simply nodded and got his order for him. 

Once Ed paid—and he made sure to leave extra money again so the service stayed fast and efficient—he looked around the crowded room and spotted an open table near the middle. Not only could he watch the door from there, but he also would be in Cohn’s line of sight if he came in. 

Ed grabbed his glass and pitcher of ale. He walked over to the small table and sat down. To keep anyone else from bothering him, he propped his left foot up on the extra chair. A few people walked by and gave him a passing glance but otherwise said nothing. Ed kept his arms folded across his chest and his body language closed, lest anyone would be tempted to strike up a conversation with him. 

Filling his glass, Ed set the pitcher down on the table and took a drink. The ale had the same slightly bitter taste to it, but after a few drinks, he begun to get used to it. 

Time ticked on slowly, and Ed’s first thought was that he had come too late and missed his target. He had come here a couple hours earlier last Tuesday. It was possible he had messed around in his hotel room for too long. Ed sighed and turned his head sideways to crack his neck. He pulled his watch out of his pants pocket and glanced at the time. It read about half past ten. 

Even though Cohn had a fairly steady schedule, there was no guarantee he’d always keep to it. Nor did Ed know of any exact time he might come. There were only days in the information Roy had given him. If Cohn didn’t show soon, Ed would go back to his hotel room and try again tomorrow and keep coming back until he saw him again. 

The door bell jingled. Ed craned his head to look behind him and felt a wave of relief course through him. Albert Cohn walked in, smiled, and nodded to a few of the workers. Tonight he was dressed similarly as if he had just got off from work, and again he carried the same black suitcase as before. Ed realized how lucky he was. Cohn probably had a late night at work tonight otherwise they would have missed each other. 

Leaning back, Ed stretched his arms over his head and watched him move across the room. It seemed like he was looking for someone, though Ed hadn’t seen the man Cohn had left with the other night around. With the place as packed as it was, something like that could have easily been missed. Or perhaps Cohn was looking for anyone to take home for the night. 

Ed waited until Albert Cohn got within a few feet of his table and made eye contact. He cleared his throat to get the man’s attention. He looked up at Cohn through his eyelashes and his lips curled up into a sultry smile. Ed had quelled the urge to laugh when he noticed a spark of interest in the other man’s eyes. He hadn’t expected it to be that easy. He had thought he’d have to work at it harder. 

Casually, he slid his foot off the chair. “Hey, this seat is free.” Ed leaned his head in the palm of his hand and pointed to the empty chair across from him. “It’s yours if you’d like.”

Albert Cohn stopped and turned to look him over. He smiled at Ed, though his eyes held a mild hint of wariness in them. “I’ve never seen you here before. Do you work here?”

“No, I don’t, but I was thinking about it.” Ed slowly let his eyes trail up Cohn’s body until their eyes finally met. “Although, I’m not opposed to meeting someone for the night on my own. It’s awfully chilly out there to go to my hotel room alone.”

“Is that so?” Cohn’s eyes carefully assessed Ed. “Are you here by yourself then?”

“Yes, but you’ll have to sit down if you want to ask me any more questions.” Ed’s lips tilted up into a lop-sided smile. “So, how bout it?”

Cohn seemed easy to impress or his standards somehow lacked in areas Ed couldn’t even begin to comprehend. But he sat down in the empty chair and took off his coat. His eyes moved between and the pitcher. 

“May I share your ale?” Cohn stretched his arms out across the table until they were only a couple inches away from Ed’s hands. 

“Sure, would you like me to get you another glass?” Ed really hoped he didn’t want to share a glass. He would try to be agreeable, after all he had extended the offer to begin with, but there were limits, and with how often Cohn visited this place, Ed didn’t trust that he was clean. 

“If you’d like.” Cohn smiled at him but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, and it made Ed feel uncomfortable inside. Almost like someone had coated his insides with slime. 

“I’ll go get one for you then.” Ed leaned forward and lowered his voice to a soft purr. “Just don’t find someone else in the meantime and leave before I get back.”

Ed took one more swallow of his ale and slid out of his seat. This in some ways was going to be harder for him than he imagined. He never had to pretend to be interested in anyone before. If he didn’t like someone, usually he left no room for doubt. 

Feigning interest was new to him, though Ed had found it easier to calculate and think about his next move. And on a technical level, he didn’t have to try very hard with this, but on a non-technical level he found it hard not to break character. He had only had a brief conversation with Cohn, and already Ed couldn’t stand him. 

A few people stared at him strangely once he reached the bar counter. Ed ignored them and turned back to the bar. The bartender gave him a quick nod of the head. Ed cleared his throat and looked behind him. He gave Cohn a smile and waved once. 

“Can I have another glass?” Ed asked the bartender. He jerked his head in Cohn’s direction. “He’d like to share mine. If that’s going to be a problem, I can get another pitcher.”

The bartender followed Ed’s head movement and shrugged. “It’s fine. He’s a regular so I’m sure he’ll want more to drink. If not, he’s spent enough money here many times to cover it.” He slid and extra glass over to Ed. “I’m surprised he’s takin a liking to you, though since you’re not one of mine.”

Ed shrugged. “I’m interested in him and offered him a seat so maybe that’s why.”

“Whatever, kid. Though, you may be getting yourself more than you bargained for,” the bartender said before he walked away and left Ed alone.

Picking up the glass, Ed mulled over what the man had told him. He had to wonder if Cohn was someone to watch out for, why the guy would even bother serving him? He could have asked, but somehow he doubted he would get any answers. Cohn belonged to the Creta military and that was probably reason enough not to deny him service.

Ed pushed away from the counter and went back to the table. He set the glass down in front of Cohn and slid back into his chair. He filled the glass for Cohn and topped off his own. 

“What brings you to this town?” Cohn asked him after taking a drink of ale. “First time you’ve been here?”

“Yeah, this is my first time to this town. I’m thinking about settling here,” Ed said indifferently while he looked down at the table. “Trying to get my life together and make something of myself. I hear this is a good way to make some money so I figured I’d check it out and see how I liked it. See if I was any good at it.”

“For some people, this is a good place to start. And I don’t think you have to worry about how good you are at it. You already know how to capture a man’s interest well enough.” Cohn gave Ed a coy smile. “Though, I’m not even sure you’re even old enough for a place like this.”

“Is it a problem if I’m not?” Ed asked, masking his slight disgust with feigned curiosity. 

Cohn appreciatively looked him over again but didn’t answer his question. Ed moved his hand down to the side of his chair and gripped it tightly. This man was a real piece of work. All he had to do was pretend to be young and stupid and he’d have Cohn falling over the opportunity to take advantage. 

“Don’t worry. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable. I don’t mind you asking.” Ed looked past Cohn and nodded his head. “That’s a nice suitcase you have with you.” He casually glanced at it. “I bet your job is real fancy.”

“It pays well,” Albert Cohn replied smugly. “More than enough for one man.”

Wetting his lips, Ed chuckled a little. A part of him really wanted to ask Cohn if he was sure about that since the report had vaguely mentioned a wife. “I bet it affords you the chance to do a lot of things most of us wouldn’t even dream of doing.”

“It does.” Cohn leaned back, proudly. “I work in the Capital City for a special task force in the military.”

Ed’s eyes widened. “Oh? Then I guess I should probably tell you that I _am_ old enough to be here. I’m sure a man like you would never dream of taking some kid home with you.”

There it was. Exactly what Ed knew he’d find but didn’t want to. A flicker of disappointment came over Cohn for a moment. He supposed it was just as well. It would make it easier for him to use the bastard and grab what he needed. 

“That would be the last thing I’d want to do,” Cohn carefully replied. Ed wanted to call him a liar but smiled instead. Cohn’s hand moved closer to Ed’s. “What were you looking to do later tonight?”

“I don’t know. Depends on whether or not an interesting offer comes my way.” Ed noticed that Cohn glass was now empty so he refilled it. “You wouldn’t happen to know of anyone who could offer me something… interesting and entertaining, would you? Then maybe I can figure out if I want to try this place out or not.”

Cohn picked up his glass and took another drink. He set it down on the table and eyed Ed up with interest. “I may have an offer of my own that would interest you.”

“I’m definitely interested in hearing about it.” Ed leaned across the table and rested his chin the palm of his hand. “Do tell.”

“Are you free all night?” Cohn’s hand closed the space between them and touched Ed’s wrist. “I believe it will take most of it away from you.”

“I don’t have anywhere I need to be.” Ed gave Cohn another smile and moved himself a little closer to the table. 

“First let's enjoy our drinks. Then maybe afterwards we can go for a ride.” Cohn drank more ale. “After we’re done, we’ll see if you’re still interested.”

“Alright. I'm game.” Ed slowly drank from his glass. He didn't want to ingest too much alcohol before leaving with Cohn. 

“Good.” Cohn gave a thin smile and leaned his elbows on the table. “Now tell me about yourself.”

“Not much to tell, really.” Ed kept his voice calm and almost bored sounding. “I'm sure you have far more exciting things to say.”

“I doubt that. Considering you're not from around here, you must have traveled some,” Cohn said. “You can tell me where you're from.”

“I'm from near Milos,” Ed answered without pausing. “I'd rather not talk about it if you don’t mind.”

Cohn gave a quiet 'ah' in response. Last Ed heard, tension between the people near Milos and the government was still thick, most of the issues constantly being pushed aside for political gain. It was the only place he felt he could mention and have Cohn dropped the topic without raising any suspicion. 

“What kind of work do you do?” Ed asked, hoping to divert the conversation. “You said you were on a special task force? That sounds intriguing.”

“Alright. I can tell you some of what I do.” Cohn chuckled. He pulled his hand away from Ed and leaned back into his chair. “Are you sure you want to hear about it, though? It’s quite long and boring.”

“I do most definitely,” Ed replied while he braced himself for what he knew would be a long night.

~*~

Cohn had stumbled several times on their way out to his car. The thought that he may have overdone giving him drinks crossed Ed’s mind a few times. They almost didn’t make it without incident. If he hadn’t been there to stop Cohn from falling over, it would have complicated things. There were still people out on the street so he couldn’t very well take off on his own with anything that belonged to Cohn. 

Ed had offered to drive after Cohn’s near wipeout on the paved road only to have the suggestion quickly brushed aside. Despite his misgivings, Ed opened the passenger side door and got in. 

The stuffiness inside the car hit him hard and made Ed cough when he first closed the door. He could smell the remnants of greasy food and cigar smoke. And something stale, though he didn’t see any leftover food on the floor or seats. Overall though, the car was clean and the seats were comfortable. Ed hadn’t seen Cohn smoke tonight or the other night, which made him wonder where that smell originated from. 

Cohn opened the back door and gently set the suitcase on the floor. Ed pretended not to notice or be very interested in what he was doing. Ed fiddled with the soft lining of the seat while he waited. Cohn got into the car and sat there for a minutes, saying nothing. 

One nice thing about them leaving the bar was that he no longer had to pretend to be interested in Cohn’s work or every other shitty thing the man had to brag about. Ed knew plenty of good people who had done great things and didn't feel the need to boast about it. 

The engine started, and Cohn put the car into gear and pulled out onto the road. Surprisingly, he drove quite well for someone who could barely walk straight. Ed glanced out the window and immediately recognized the direction they were headed in. Cohn was driving them back to the same motel from the other day. It didn’t take long, probably only about five or ten minutes to get there.

Obviously, Cohn was used to coming here judging by a few quick short cuts through a couple random alleyways. Ed wondered why he hadn’t taken this way the last time he tracked Cohn. It instantly put him on the defensive, though he kept his body language relaxed. 

Cohn hadn’t shown any signs of recognizing him, and Ed was pretty sure they were headed to the hotel for sex, or at least he felt that was Cohn’s intention. There had been constant implications the entire time they were talking. Ed had no plans to let it actually go so far. Not only would Roy be pissed off beyond belief and it would probably ruin any chance he had, but he would never be able to look at himself in the mirror again with regretting it. 

Not with a creep like Cohn. The man was a real piece of work. Ed suspected that he would have taken the offer no matter what he had said so long as he was still offering himself. The report he would have to write up for this would likely give him a headache, and he’d be lucky if he didn’t catch any shit from Roy about it. 

When the motel came into view, Cohn pulled his car next to curb and cut the engine. Ed undid his seatbelt and waited. He tentatively glanced over and watched Cohn pull the suitcase from the back seat and open the door. Ed followed and got out of the car. 

Even with the risks involved, he still felt it was worth trying. Right now he was just some nameless guy who was looking for a change in life and a chance to forget for one night. He had even managed not to drop a name to Cohn. He had to carefully play his part without overreaching. It had been so easy getting Cohn to agree to them not exchanging names. Was this how he always did things? Ed suspected he’d never know, and as long as he got what he came to get tonight, he didn’t care. 

Hopefully, by tomorrow, he’d be on a train out or packing up. Stealing the information would leave him with little choice but to leave. With all the alcohol he had given Cohn, Ed planned to hold him off long enough that he would pass out and wake up none the wiser. 

They crossed the street and entered the motel, with Cohn holding the door open for him. Ed politely nodded his thanks. Cohn walked up to the front desk while Ed stood behind a little ways and waited. He could hear them talk low but couldn’t really understand what they were saying. 

The inside of the motel wasn’t the nicest he had been in, but it looked clean and well maintained. With the way the outside looked, Ed had expected it to be run down and dirty. The front lobby was fairly big and there were a few benches to sit on near the door. Other than that, there weren’t any fancy decorations or potted plants. Only the hardwood floors and three lamps placed around the room to give it enough lighting. 

Just as Ed was about to sit on one of the benches while he waited, Cohn turned towards him. His walk only had a slight stagger to it now. His footsteps were a lot steadier than when they had left the whorehouse. Ed had even taken into account Cohn’s body mass when he kept pushing drinks across the table. 

A quick recovery would be problematic. He would have to watch him carefully and make his move soon rather than wait for Cohn to pass out. If things turned out for the worst, Ed needed to make sure he had an escape plan, some way to leave without causing any trouble or being seen. 

When Cohn reached him, he took Ed by the arm. “You’re not having a change of heart are you?”

“No, sorry, just thinking about how big this place is.” Ed cracked a nervous smile, hoping that Cohn would take it as a case of nerves. 

“Let’s go then.” Cohn directed him towards the double doors that led out of the lobby and to the rooms. 

The motel had more than one story to it. Ed wondered which floor they would be on. Most places had a fire escape nearby, but he hadn’t paid attention to whether or not the motel had enough to cover all the rooms. Thinking back, he only remembered seeing one that had wrapped around part of the building. 

They walked through the doors and Cohn started up a small set of stairs. Ed followed quietly behind. It felt more like he was going to a business meeting than hooking up in a mediocre motel. 

At the top of the stairs, to the second floor, Cohn pushed open the door and stopped the third door down the hallway. Ed cleared his mind and any doubts he had and quickly caught up to Cohn. He opened the door for them and Ed followed him inside. 

Shutting the door, Ed stepped into the room. Cohn set his suitcase down, next to nightstand near the bed. The room itself wasn’t that big. There was a door to his left that probably held a closet since he noticed a small bathroom straight across. One large bed took up most of the far side of the room. Ed stood there and took it all in. Cohn for the moment had taken to ignoring his presence. 

Ed looked back to make sure the door had been locked. The last thing he needed was a possible interruption even though he doubted that would happen. When he turned back around, he almost choked on his own spit. He honestly didn’t know if he should leave Cohn alone or say something. 

Albert Cohn was faced slightly away from Ed towards the bed, with his pants down around his ankles, dick in his hand, jerking off. Ed backed away, bumping his back against the door. He swallowed a few times, unsure of how to handle this. If he said something, he’d be drawing Cohn’s attention to him. 

It felt all the more real now. Cohn was already panting heavily, his hands quickly moving up and down. Why was he even here if that was all the man planned on doing? Ed was left standing there, dumbfounded. He had thought that Cohn would have at least talked to him beforehand or said something, anything. Then again, he had picked Ed up in a whorehouse. Maybe this was the normal way to do things, and he was now only catching on to how it worked. 

Cohn acted like he had forgotten Ed was still in the room. Maybe he had gone a little overboard with giving him all those drinks. Regardless, Ed doubted he’d be able to get much information out of him now. However, it also gave him an unexpected element of surprise. 

He moved forward and then stopped. The floorboards squeaked a bit, but Cohn seemed too into himself that he didn’t bother turning around. Ed crept closer. Only a few more steps and he’d be able to find out what was inside Cohn’s suitcase. 

Ed turned his attention back to Cohn. He was hunched enough that the top of Ed’s head leveled out to his shoulders. Still the height difference might be a problem if he wasn’t careful. Ed knew he’d only have one good shot at this. If it didn’t work, then he was probably in for a fight. That would seriously complicate things for him. Even though the motel only had one worker, Ed couldn’t afford to have any police called in. 

Creeping up slowly, Ed tried to make sure his footsteps didn’t make any loud noises. When he stood directly behind Cohn, he took a deep breath and made his move. He moved his right leg out to kick Cohn at the knees. He buckled and turned to look at Ed, his face screwed up in surprise. 

Ed’s hand came down hard against the back of Cohn’s head. He heard a choked gasp and saw Cohn’s arm move back to grab at him. Side-stepping the sluggish movement, Ed did it again, this time making sure he hit directly at the back of his neck with his elbow. 

Albert Cohn fell to the floor with a loud thud. Ed inhaled and exhaled slowly. He kept his eyes on Cohn. After a few minutes had passed, he bent down and inspected the damage. Ed poked Cohn with his foot to make sure he wouldn’t move before reaching down and grabbing him underneath his arms and pulling him into a sitting position. He put two fingers against Cohn's neck and felt a somewhat steady pulse. Good, he was only unconscious. 

Reaching up, Ed grabbed the thin blanket from off the bed and wrapped it around Cohn’s waist to cover him. He kept wrapping it around until there was only a little left. After tying it in a somewhat secure knot, Ed sat down on the floor and thought about what to do. 

His hands shook a little and he kept taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly until he started to calm down. He could tie Cohn up and stuff him somewhere. If he did that, he would have the chance to look inside the suitcase without worry about whether or not Cohn would wait up. 

Ed got up on his knees and reached over to pull the top sheet down off the bed. This time, he pulled out his knife and began cutting it. After he made long cuts through it, Ed set the knife down. The sheet tore in medium-sized strips. He quickly wound it together to strengthen them. Carefully, he bound Cohn’s arms and legs. 

Even for as drunk as he was, Ed was surprised he hadn’t woken up. Glancing at the floor, he picked up the remaining two strips, wound them together, and put them in Cohn’s mouth. Ed tied the ends tightly and stood up. 

Grabbing Cohn underneath his arms, Ed grunted, lifting him up, and dragged him over towards the closet door. He leaned Cohn against the wall and opened the door. It took Ed a little bit of maneuvering, but finally he felt satisfied that the door would close with little to no trouble. 

After the closet door was shut, Ed pulled the wooden chair from the small table and used it against the door knob to secure it. He turned around, brushed his hands off his pants, and glanced over at the suitcase near the nightstand. Most likely it was locked. Ed couldn’t imagine that Cohn would leave it open if it was that important to him. 

Ed went over to it, knelt down, and pulled it closer to him. The floor boards felt hard under his knees but he ignored the uncomfortable feeling and focused on the task at hand. Ed ran his hands down the side of it and looked it over. He had been right. There was a small latch that had a key hole. 

Cohn most likely had it on him, but there was no way Ed would risk untying him for a key. Not unless he absolutely had to and even then, he’d rather take the whole thing with him. 

Feeling around the inside of his coat, Ed pulled out his pick hammer and brought his arm down hard and quickly. The hammer nicked the lock, loudly. Cursing softly, he yanked the remaining sheet on the bed off and over to him. Hopefully, he could use it to muffle the sound without losing the ability to break the lock. If not, he would have to make it as quick as possible. 

His movements were fast and sharp, and Ed made sure to put all his strength into each swing. Finally, after the sixth try, the top of the suitcase suddenly fell open and hit him on the knees. Papers scattered across his lap and onto the floor. Ed picked up what he could and quickly glanced through them. 

Some of it looked coded and there were bits of information he thought could possibly be about communications with Drachma. Ed sighed and put them down. He rubbed his forehead and thought for a moment. He didn’t have much time and looking over everything, tonight would only decrease his chances of getting out of Creta before the police were called. Roy would have to do it, or he would once he crossed the border. 

Already his watch read a quarter till one. He had spent more time at the bar with Cohn than he had intended and now he felt like he was running out of it. Ed gathered all the papers together, deciding that he would bind them up and wrap them around his waist. 

After putting the papers together into a thick stack, Ed wrapped them up the best he could, cutting and using the remaining sheet to make smaller more manageable pieces. He needed something better to carry the papers in but until he could get back to his hotel room and work it out, it would have to do for now. 

Shrugging his coat off, Ed unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. He then began to secure the papers to him. He wrapped the pieces of sheet around his body tightly, testing it out by tugging on the ends of the papers. When they didn’t move, he tied the knots. It felt weird having the papers bound to him, but it would work. Otherwise, he’d be walking through the streets, carrying the entire stack or trying to hide them under his coat. 

Ed picked up his shirt and put it back on. After buttoning it up again, he pulled his coat on and zipped it up. While his coat wasn’t that thick, it didn’t appear too bulky and wouldn’t draw unwanted attention to him. 

Now he had to figure out how he would leave, and he needed to do it soon before Cohn woke up and started making noise. Ed went over to the single window in the room. He undid the latch that kept it locked and pulled upwards. 

The window wouldn’t open right away, and Ed thought he would have to go out through the door until he felt it give way. Pulling it up took some time. He had to constantly wiggle it back and forth until it was up enough for him to slip through. 

He peeked his head out and looked around. They were only on the second floor so in theory he could probably make the jump, but still, it wasn’t a drop he wanted to risk. Not without any rope or way to make sure he could get down without breaking something. Even if he wouldn’t kill himself, a broken leg or arm would only slow him down. There was a fire escape to his right, but it sat too far away for him to reach. Ed pulled his head back in and cradled it in the palm of his hands. 

He looked back out at the skinny ledge the moved along the side of the building. If he was careful enough he could use it to get close to the fire escape and attempt to jump onto it from there. He could just as easily slip and fall. 

Ed really couldn’t decide what to do. The safer route would have him possibly run into someone who worked for the motel or another customer staying there. But shimming around, late at night, and scaling the ledge… if he was seen doing that, it would appear even more suspicious. 

Sighing again, he looked down at the ground and then back over at the fire escape. He could make it. Certainly, he had done worse, far more dangerous things before. 

Carefully, Ed boosted himself up so that he sat on the window sill. He slid his legs out first until he felt them reach touch something solid. Ed situated himself so that he moved out onto the ledge, feet first. He kept a tight grip on the window and slowly turned himself around so that he could use the side of the building to hold onto. He reached back and tried to shut the window only have it jam up again. 

Ed left it alone, figuring he’d be long gone by morning if everything worked out in his favor. Sidling along, his fingers dug into the groves of the brick side. His feet were almost turned sideways, making it difficult for him to move more than an inch at a time. The ledge didn’t provide him with much room and now that Ed had started out, he realized he probably should have come at it with his back facing the building. 

His right foot slipped. Ed righted himself, took a moment to regain his balance and kept moving. The window to the room got further away. He chanced a look at the fire escape and saw that it was close enough that he should be able to jump over to it. 

Carefully, he crouched down and balanced his body the best he could. When Ed felt he had a solid enough point to move from, he made the leap. 

At first Ed thought he’d make it without any trouble. He had given himself enough of a boost to make it over the rail. Only when his right arm caught on it and his leg hit against the side of the fire escape did he realize he would have needed another few inches of space. When he landed, the angle was too odd, and he couldn’t stop from hitting the side of his head against the rail. He had managed to get his hand up in time to stop it from hitting harder. 

Ed lay cockeyed against the side of the fire escape with his legs tangled up. His head throbbed and he reached up to rub at it. Looking down at his stomach, he noticed that nothing had fallen out. Ed could feel a headache begin to form from the top of his head down across his temples. Grunting, he pushed himself up into a proper sitting position. 

His hotel room, he had to get back to it. If he hurried, Ed knew he could make it there within the hour, pack up, and then leave. Closing his eyes, he leaned back against the rail, gently massaged his scalp, and let the sharp pain in his head ebb into a dull throb. The wig made the tender area itch, and the thought of getting it off his head overwhelmed him. 

Instead, Ed ignored the urge and pulled his hand away, grateful that it didn’t come back with blood on it. He shakily stood up and waited for the wave of nausea to subside. His vision was clear and the first few steps he took were steady. 

Once he felt like he could move without trouble, Ed quickly made his way down to the fire escape and into the back alley. He looked around to make sure no one had seen him, and his eyes moved up to the open window of the room one last time before he took off in the direction towards the center of town. 

~*~  
The lock to his room clicked and unlatched when he turned the key over. Ed quickly opened the door and slipped through. He had paid for the entire week and hoped no one would bother checking in on him until he was long gone. Right now, the front desk had been empty, and he planned to use the back side door that led out into the alleyway when he left. 

First he had to pack everything up and get himself ready to go. The bed was a mess from when he went out earlier. The sheets and blanket were tangled up and some clothes were scattered about. His suitcase had been left partially open on the floor with a few socks hanging over the edge. Ed looked down and patted the papers. 

Taking off his coat and shirt, he went to work on unbinding the sheets he had wrapped around his waist. As the binds loosened, papers started to fall onto the floor. Ed ignored them for the time being until he got the pieces of sheet completely off. He took the pieces and bundled them together, setting them aside in a loose pile. He knelt down on the floor and carefully picked up the papers. None of the pages were numbered, and he was certain they probably were out of order somewhat by now. 

When he reached Amestris, he’d try to make something of it before turning it over to Roy if he had time. Ed finished gathering the papers and set them down on the small table in the room. He pulled his suitcase from the floor and set it down on the bed. He had left room in it in case he needed to bring things back with him, but he wasn’t sure he had left enough. 

“Fuck.” Ed cursed softly when he opened it all the way up and looked inside. 

Even if he cleaned it out and repacked it, it was doubtful he’d be able to fit everything inside of it. At least the papers would go in easy enough, but if he wanted to take it all with him so he didn’t leave any evidence behind he was in trouble. 

Ed sighed and rested his hands on the bed. Really it didn’t matter. He had left evidence behind with Cohn. It wouldn’t matter at this point. Obviously, Cohn would be able to give a physical description of him and eventually it would lead the police here.

He dumped the suitcase on the bed and started rearranging everything. He folded most of his clothes and carefully packed it back up, making sure to place the stack of papers on the bottom. He tossed the few socks and another shirt in and closed it up. He still had time. And an early train would leave around four thirty. That left him with a couple hours to figure out what to do. Most likely no would notice Cohn tied up and stuffed into the closet until morning unless he woke up sooner and banged on the closet door. 

Ed grabbed his suitcase, and then set it back down on the floor. He needed to call Roy before he did anything else. He put his hands into his pants pocket. Now he understood why Cohn always carried that suitcase around. Ed didn't feel comfortable leaving it in the room, but he also felt bringing it with him would complicate things more.

While most people didn’t usually leave their hotel room in the middle of the night, some of the bars were still open and if someone passed by, they would see him. He put his hands on the suitcase, bent down, and shoved it underneath the bed. 

He quickly put his shirt back on, grabbed his coat, and left the room, making sure to lock it up behind him. The small door down the hallway had a stone sitting near it, probably for guests to prop open the door if they wanted to go outside and not get locked out. Ed set it up so that the door was mostly closed and only cracked open a little. He walked around the side of the hotel and towards the phone. 

Ed looked around the street before slipping inside the phone booth. He hoped that Roy picked up. If not, then he would have to contact Roy tomorrow, after he crossed the border. He pushed the coins through the slot and waited. The phone rang. And it kept ringing with no answer. Ed started to lose faith that Roy would answer but decided that he would wait until the operator came on and told him the call wouldn’t go through. 

The twelfth ring came and went and then he heard it pick up on the other line. Ed sighed in relief. 

_“Hello, who is this?”_ Roy asked, and judging by the sleepiness in his voice, he had just woken up. 

“Hey, it’s me. Sorry to call so late.” Ed swallowed and held the phone away from his head, trying to figure out a good way to word everything. He pulled it back to him. “I… I just wanted to call you and let you know that I need to come back. I’m gonna take the early train out so I should cross the border then.”

 _“Ed? Are you okay?”_ Roy sounded a little more alert and awake now. _“Did something happen? I thought you planned on being there for a couple of weeks.”_

“Yes, something did happen, but it’s fine. I got some things to bring back to you that you’ll like. Important things.” Ed kept watch out the glass enclosure to make sure that no one was around. “But at this point, there’s no way I can stay here. Not without the risk of getting caught. I wanted to let you know just in case something should happen and I’m not back in Amestris tomorrow.”

 _“Hold on, what do you mean? Tell me what happened,”_ Roy demanded. _“What might happen to you?”_

“I can’t stay on here for much longer. Sorry.” Ed closed his eyes. “If I don’t contact you by tomorrow night, then something went wrong. I don’t think it’ll be problem since I’ll be leaving soon but just in case, I wanted to let you know. I gotta go and finish packing. Sorry I woke you up.”

 _“Ed, wait.”_ Roy sighed. _“Are you sure, you’re fine. Do you need me to send anyone for you tomorrow?”_

“Yes, I’m fine. And no, I don’t think that’ll help. It would probably complicate things, especially if they are searching for me.” Ed fiddled with the ends of his coat. 

_“Saying that without any real details only makes the situation seem worse than what you’re letting on.”_ Roy tone sounded irritated at this point. _“Tell me what happened.”_

“Really, I do have to go. I promise I’ll call you tomorrow unless something comes up,” Ed quickly replied before Roy could ask more questions. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

He hung up the phone so that Roy couldn’t keep the conversation going. Everything that happened tonight would be in his report and was something he’d rather discuss with Roy in person. Saying all that over the phone while in a different country didn’t settle well with him. Besides, he needed to clear out and find a place to lay low until he could get on the train. 

When Ed left the booth the street was still empty. He doubled checked, though to make sure no one had been watching him before turning back to the hotel and around to the alley. Ed moved the small stone out of the way and shut the side door. The hotel seemed eerily silent tonight. He realized his own paranoia was probably weighing down on his thoughts. 

Ed slipped back into his hotel room, shut the door behind him, and tossed his coat onto the bed. Pulling his suitcase back out from under the bed, he opened it up. Quickly, he grabbed a new set of clothes and changed, putting the ones he wore tonight on top. 

After he closed it back up, Ed went inside the small cramped bathroom and for the first time since he had left for the bar, looked at his appearance. 

It could have been worse. It certainly could have been better but at least he only had a few scrapes here and there on his face and neck. Ed reached up and touched where he had hit his head earlier and felt a lump forming, which meant he wouldn't have to worry about it being serious. He couldn’t tell by the pain alone since his tolerance was high. Already, he could barely that it was there. 

The wig was still in place. Ed was impressed that it had stayed on and hadn’t moved at all since he had put it back on this morning. Tentatively, he touched the brown strands and brushed them away from his face. The hair had to go. Ed couldn’t afford to leave it the same. Yet, he almost hated the idea of cutting, especially since it technically didn't belong to him. 

Taking out his knife, Ed carefully began to cut down the hair from the wig until it lay in short, choppy waves across his head. He left enough so that his natural hair didn’t show through. If for some reason they ended up searching for him before he could cross the border, they would be trying to find someone with a different description. Looking back, it would have been a good idea to bring a spare with him. 

After he felt he had made it look different enough, Ed folded the knife back up and pocketed it. He grabbed a towel from the rack and washed his face and arms up the best he could. Then he used the towel to gather the hair in the sink and brought it out of the bathroom. 

This he would need to take back with him. He wrangled the suitcase open with one hand and dumped the pieces of the wig onto his clothes. Ed gently pulled one of his shirts out from underneath and set it on top. 

Ed closed it back up and looked behind him, towards the door. He still had to do something about the sheets from the motel. Ed walked over and gathered up the shredded pieces. There was no closet in this room. Closing his eyes, he put his hands on his hips and thought about his situation. 

He could always shove it under the bed. Ed quickly walked back over and instead lifted up the thin mattress. He laid down everything in his hands and covered it back over. Satisfied that he cleaned up the best he could, Ed grabbed his suitcase, turned out the light, and left the room. Once he was back outside, he made sure that he had everything he needed and let the side door shut all the way. 

Ed quietly moved further into the alley where the shadows would help give him cover. When he was far enough away from the street, he felt around the inside pocket in his coat and pulled out the folded up map he had of the town. The station was towards the edge of town and it wouldn’t take him long to walk there. If he stuck as much to the alleys as possible it would tack on a few more minutes but he still had enough time to catch the train. 

The station would be where he’d wait it out in the shadows. Ed started moving again, this time back towards the way he came. He darted out from the alley and down the street until he reached another one. Tomorrow he would be back home and closer to Roy. With that thought to keep him focused, Ed pulled his suitcase close to his body and pushed on. He kept as much off the main streets as possible, only doing so until he could find another side street, and headed towards the train station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made the decision to cut the last scene out since it seemed like there were too many "Ed rides a train" scenes in here. Please let me know if the ending to this comes across as confusing/too short, etc. and I'll diddle it. I don't have a beta for this so sometimes going by my own thoughts, it's hard to tell if these chapters need more to end them *forever paranoid* 
> 
> chapter ten will up Wednesday I think, maybe tomorrow ^^


	10. Chapter 10

Ed tapped his fingers slowly up and down against the wooden counter until all he could hear was the soft clicking sound they made. After he crossed the border, he got a room and settled in. Before that, he had exited the train station and used the restroom there to take the wig off. Once he found a room for the night, he showered to get all the dust and dirt off him and had tried to call Roy. When that hadn’t worked out, he checked in at the bar like he had agreed to. 

The train ride back had been uneventful except for when they did a routine check near the border. Ed had a moment when he thought they were looking for him. The Creta guards had taken their sweet time looking over everything before sending them off. He was grateful it was all over, and that he had made it back safely. Now he was waiting for Darrel, who had insisted over the phone that he come to the bar right away, to finish talking with another customer. 

Ed thought about taking a seat and ordering something, but he had too much nervous energy pent up. And the bar seemed unusually empty today, which made him feel weird for wanting something to drink. There were only a few people sitting at the counter. Maybe it was too early still even for the weekend. 

When he looked back, he felt a certain sense of relief when Darrel came his way. He wanted to get this over with so he could go back to his hotel room and sleep since he hadn’t had the chance to since Thursday night. He would try to contact Roy later tonight or ask Darrel to after he left. He wanted to be awake and alert for that conversation.

“He’s in the back, waiting for you.” Darrel leaned against the counter and pointed to the room he had sent Ed the first time they met. The way he said it, Ed knew whom he was talking about. 

“Roy is here?” Ed leaned in and whispered harshly. “Did he say why he came all the way out here?”

“Yeah, he came in late this morning and has been here ever since.” Darrel turned his head towards the door. “And no. He didn’t say much about anything or why he’s here. Only if you showed up to send you in.”

Ed frowned. He must have misunderstood Darrel earlier. Either that or else Darrel had simply chosen not to tell him Roy had showed up. Ed had only been told to bring the information with him so he had thought he’d only be doing a contact exchange in case he couldn’t relay the information to Roy over the phone. 

It did explain why he couldn’t get a hold of Roy after he checked into his hotel room. And thinking about now, it was odd that he would need to show Darrel the information directly. 

“You sure he didn’t mention the reason he’s here?” Ed glanced up. “Nothing at all?”

“No, though he did seem concerned about your physical well being. He did ask if I knew anything about that,” Darrel replied while wiping down a glass. “I thought you were probably expecting him. You should go talk to him. I don’t think he’s in the best mood. Making him wait will only worsen it.”

“Okay, I guess I'll go in then.” Ed turned away from the bar and walked towards the door only to have it open. Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye stepped out. She stopped short when she saw him. 

“Edward.” She closed the door and moved to stand next to it. “It’s good to see you. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Ed answered cautiously. “Any reason you’d ask?”

“The General said that you had called and seemed uncertain of when you’d be able to return.” Even though she smiled at him, it was tight, which meant Roy most likely was in an even worst mood than he originally thought. 

Ed sighed and leaned against the door. If Roy had come then that meant he had been worried, and that also meant there would be questions. A lot of questions. Ed could only guess what Roy had done in order to already be out here with Hawkeye. It was possible he had left one the first train out of Central.

“I’m okay.” Ed pushed away from the wall. “I didn’t mean to…” He shook his head and stopped himself. “I’ll just go in and talk to him.”

Ed opened the door and slipped inside before Hawkeye could say anything to him. He already felt bad for calling Roy in the middle of the night and ending their conversation so soon. And now that they were here, looking for him… the guilt gnawed at him and clawed its way up from his belly and to his chest. 

Roy sat at the small table with his back to the door. Ed stood there for a moment before closing it. He waited to see if Roy would notice him standing there or if he should just sit down and get it over with. 

“Have a seat, Ed.” Roy turned his head slightly to look at Ed over his shoulder.

Ed walked across the room to the table and sat down opposite of Roy. He looked Roy over and a small part of Ed felt relieved that he was wearing civilian clothes underneath his black coat. At least he hadn’t taken time off work for this. 

Neither of them said anything at first. Ed wasn’t sure where to start, and by look of the scowl on Roy’s face, one wrong word would easily lead to an argument. Up until now, they had managed not to fight, but Ed had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to get by today without exchanging a few verbal blows with Roy. 

“What is that…” Roy’s expression softened a little, and he reached out and almost touched Ed’s face. He stopped himself when he realized what he was doing. “Did you—”

“Yeah, they’re darker. It’ll fade eventually.” Ed self-consciously brushed his bangs out of his eyes and looked back at Roy cautiously. “It’s not permanent.”

“Ah, okay.” Roy’s eyes moved over Ed’s face. He tilted his head a little. “It doesn’t look bad. I wasn’t expecting it.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. If I had known I’d be back so soon, I probably wouldn’t have done it.” Ed let out a relieved sigh and leaned back in the chair. So far Roy seemed to be somewhat friendly. “Anyway. I have some things for you.” He pulled out the stack of papers from his coat and handed it to Roy. “This is why I’m back.”

“You got all this already?” Roy thumbed through the information before setting it aside. “You weren’t there for very long. How did you manage to do that?”

“Yeah, wrote all that stuff down too. I did a report earlier since I couldn’t get a hold of you.” Ed reached into his pants pocket, pulled out the folded up report, and set it down. “That’s all I did while there. Wasn’t there long enough to write too much on it but I got a few pages for you.”

Roy unfolded the report and began to read through. Ed tried to focus on something else to pass the time by. He wished Roy would have been more interested in the information instead of his report, though he wasn’t surprised by it. There were quite a few things in there that he would rather not discuss right now. 

But he said nothing. He knew Roy would want to read without interruption. Still, he found it difficult to sit without moving, especially with no one else in the room to talk to. Roy turned the first page over onto the table and started on the second. Ed shifted around in his seat and watched him read. When he got about halfway down, he sharply looked up at Ed. 

“What’s this?” Roy asked. He pushed a part of the report that had erase smudges on it. 

Ed remembered writing that part. It had been difficult for him to find a professional way of recounting the time he spent with Cohn. He had erased and rewritten it a few times to keep himself from ranting. 

“Looks like the part right after we got to the room.” Ed read it over upside down. “Yeah, that’s right before I hit him across the back of the head a couple of times and knocked him out.”

Roy gave the paper a passing glance and narrowed his eyes at Ed. “Why was this part erased and rewritten?”

“What do you mean?” Ed's mouth turned downwards. He leaned his elbows on the table and closely watched for any indication to why Roy seemed fixated on that. “Why is that so important? All the information I got is in the file. That’s only a small part of the report and not even the stuff that counts.”

“I'm aware of that.” Roy set the report down. “And it does count. It's important because it seems like there may be something you left out. I want to know exactly what happened in that room that night.”

“Nothing happened other than what I wrote.” Ed wet his lips. When Roy shot him a disbelieving look, he heaved out a slightly exasperated sigh. “It's smudged because I wasn't sure how to word everything. I had originally written in some words that weren’t appropriate, okay. So I took them out and redid it. I didn't want to just write out my usual stuff. I wanted it to look more professional.”

Roy snorted and looked up. “Since when did you start caring about being professional?”

Closing his eyes, Ed gripped the edge of the table and tried to stifle the irritation that tried to force its way out and make him snap. He hadn’t slept much in the past few days, and had not had any real, solid sleep in almost two. “I’m not even going to bite on that one.”

“I’m not baiting you, Ed. I want to know. And if pushing your buttons is the only way to do it then that’s what I’ll do. Now tell me,” Roy folded his hands together and rested his chin on them. His brows were furrowed. “Are you sure there’s nothing missing from this report?” He leaned in closer. “Did he do anything to you that you don’t want to tell me about?”

“Oh for fucks sake, Roy, yes, I’m sure.” Ed threw his hands up in the air and let them drop to his sides. When he looked back at Roy there was only more annoyance directed towards him. “What do you want me to say? Am I supposed to make something up? That’s all that happened. It’s not like I intended on doing anything with him. It's not like I wanted to turn around and see him with his hand wrapped around his dick. 

“I had thought that he was drunk enough that he would pass out before we got that far. The asshole drank more ale than I've seen anyone drink in my life. We spent almost three hours at that bar while he did nothing but drink and tell me all about his shitty life and hit on me.” Ed took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. “And then he drove us to the motel and we went to the room, and you read what happened. I didn't leave anything out.”

“Alright. Then perhaps you can explain to me why you went to meet him at the bar, knowing you could get him to pick you up and went back with him, alone to a motel room?” Roy leaned forward, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Because, I’m pretty sure before you left we had agreed you wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks. What if he had fought back, then what? Did you even consider all the ways it could have gone wrong for you there?”

So they were back to that. Ed should have known that Roy hadn’t really been calm but only waiting for the opportunity to bring that up. He shook his head and returned his attention to Roy. 

“Yes, I considered it, which is why I brought my knife in case I had to use it. If he had fought back, then I would be a lot more bruised up.” Ed sucked in another deep breath. “And we did agree to that, sort of, but I also remember specifically saying that I couldn’t promise to completely avoid taking risks if an opportunity presented itself that would be foolish to pass up.” He slowly raised himself from his chair and put his hands on the table. “And you didn’t say for me not to go if I couldn’t keep that promise.”

“That’s not the point.” Roy brought his hands down on the table, hard, starling Ed. “I had trusted you not to do anything stupid. What’s in this report doesn’t qualify as necessary. If something would have gone wrong, they could have disposed of you and no one would even know it happened until you disappeared.” His fingers dug into the report until the paper started to crinkle. “You brought a knife along with you to defend yourself against a man, trained in the military. You say that like that was a good idea, like that would have been enough. Do you know how lucky you were he didn’t shoot you?”

“Look,” Ed shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts. “I get that, okay. But I know how to take care of myself. It’s not like I went into it without knowing anything. I had worked out a plan.” He stopped and tried to think of how to explain himself better. If he could make Roy see and understand where he was coming from it would help defuse the tension. “The way he carried around that case, there had to be something in there that he didn’t want anyone else seeing. He could've locked it in his car or in his office or left it home. He didn't. It was with him at all times.”

“And it could have been information that has nothing to do with this. Do you think this is the only thing the Creta government is concerned with? Do you think they do nothing else with their time but sit around and think of ways to kill me?” Roy harshly countered. “You could have waited it out. You could have watched him more before making a move.”

“I didn’t, though. I didn’t see the reason to when I could get it and come back here,” Ed snapped. He leveled his gaze at Roy. “Look, I thought it would be best to get in and out as quickly as possible. Considering how dangerous it was for me to go there, I would have thought you'd appreciate how fast I got it done.”

“How fast you got it done? You didn't even know you had brought back the right things,” Roy seethed. His pupils dilated and he lowered his voice even more. He slowly stood up to match Ed’s stance. “What the hell was your hurry that you’d risk something like that for a stack of fucking papers?”

“I had to put up with that insufferable ass for hours. Listen to him drone on about shit I could care less about.” Ed’s hands slammed down on the table, and a small part of him was almost disappointed that Roy didn’t even flinch. “I pretended that I wanted to screw him so that I could get this for _you._ That’s why. Because, I felt it worth doing and coming back so that you didn’t have to wait until someone puts a bullet through your head to figure it out.”

“I specifically asked you not to take any extra risks.” Roy leaned in closer until their faces were mere inches apart. “We had an understanding. We discussed this more than once.”

“We’re going in circles with this. This is getting us nowhere, Roy.” Ed lowered his head, and when he looked back up, Roy was still staring at him. Only this time, behind the anger, Ed could see the worry. 

Guilt washed over him, again. He knew Roy had made some good points, things he hadn’t bothered to stop and think about because he had been in too big of a hurry to come back. He felt frozen underneath that intense gaze directed towards him. Ed honestly didn’t know what to say or what to do but the tension between them made him nervous and his instincts kicked in. 

Roy averted his eyes for a second and that was all Ed needed. He reached up and grabbed Roy by the collar of his coat. His eyes lowered and settled on Roy's mouth. Ed yanked him closer. He heard the sound of papers moving along the table and a subdued gasp. He could feel Roy’s quiet breaths against his cheek. 

Ed tightened his grip on Roy's coat and leaned in until their lips touched. He only brushed them lightly against Roy's to feel it out and see what would happen. But when Roy didn’t pull or shove him away, Ed closed his eyes, titled his head, and pressed harder. His tongue gently flicked out to tease the seam of Roy’s mouth. He wanted to touch and taste while he had the chance.

His lips were softer than Ed had expected, and he could taste the remnants of coffee on them. He hadn’t expected Roy to part them for him and let him inside. Nor did he expect for Roy’s hands to find their way to his shoulders and hold him in place. 

Sighing, he pressed his left hand firmly against the table and used his right to hold Roy by the back of his head. Ed’s fingers moved upwards and threaded through his hair and gripped tightly, tilting his head back a little. Roy's hair felt soft, almost like those silk sheets Ling used to put in his room. Ed’s fingers massaged near the roots, reveling in the pleased moan he heard from Roy. It sounded so soft, barely there. Just enough to encourage him. 

A pleasant shiver moved through him. Ed adjusted their mouths slightly so that he could suck gently on Roy’s tongue. His nose brushed against Roy’s cheek and again he felt his head spin. It was a sensation he had gotten used to in the past couple of months. 

Roy’s smell intoxicated him. Now that Ed was so close to him, it overpowered everything else. He had never smelled anything quite like on anyone else. The only logical reason was the way the sandalwood mixed with Roy’s own scent. Ed couldn’t get enough of it. It always distracted him and made him lose his focus. 

Ed's heart felt like it would leap out of his chest when Roy started to respond to him, first with a soft caress of his tongue against Ed’s and then by tentative exploring.

A loud knock on the door jolted Ed from his thoughts and made him jerk back so suddenly that he knocked his chair over. Ed’s entire body felt hot. His eyes found Roy’s, who looked as shocked as he felt, and his face felt like it was on fire. 

Looking away, Ed bent over to pick up the chair. When he turned around, he saw Hawkeye come into the room and close the door. He focused on her and didn’t look at Roy again to give them both time to cool down. 

“Sir, is everything okay?” Riza calmly asked. 

“Everything is fine. If you don’t mind, I’d like a minute with Ed, alone.” Roy didn’t even look back at the door. Instead, he kept his eyes on the table in front of him. When Riza quietly left, he looked up. “What kind of game are you playing?”

Ed sharply turned his head and looked at Roy. He breathed in deeply through his nose and softly let it out through his mouth. “I’m not playing any game. Do you understand now? Why I wanted to come back so quickly?”

Roy silently assessed him. He sat back down, never taking his eyes off Ed. The silence began to work on Ed’s nerves. There had been a connection, they both knew it, but now it seemed like Roy wasn’t interested in doing it again or talking about it further. He stepped closer to the table. 

“What should I do?” Ed stood up straight, making sure to keep eye contact with Roy this time. “Do you want me to go back to Central?”

“For now, nothing. You can do whatever you’d like. It’s not my job to police what you’re doing. You’ve made that clear enough already.” Roy gathered the information Ed had given from the table and stood. He turned to walk away, then stopped and looked back at Ed. “I’m going to head back to Central. I’d like to take a few days to look all of this over, alone, and work it out.”

That was Roy’s polite way of telling him that he needed space and time to think. Ed just stood there, his heart pounded loudly in his chest. He was unsure of what to say to that so he only nodded his head. If he followed Roy back to Central right away, he had a feeling it would only create more tension between them. Ed would give him space if that’s what he wanted. 

He watched Roy walk away and close the door, leaving him standing there alone. 

~*~  
Winry’s house hadn’t changed much since the last time he had been to visit. The most noticeable differences were the new pictures had been hung up on the board and the old table had been replaced with a newer, larger one. The new additions to the pictures were with her fiancé. Ed had only met the man twice, and he seemed okay enough. Not that he was worried about Winry taking care of herself. 

But there were days where it felt weird that both Winry and Al were set in that regard, and he was still striving to find a way to connect with someone he wanted to be with. He had that part down now if he could manage to move it to the next step. If for some reason, he had lost his chance with Roy, Ed was pretty sure he would head back out west, far past Creta and stay there for a long time. 

Winry interrupted his thoughts when she walked into the room, still dressed in her work overalls. Ed had arrived only fifteen minutes ago, and she had insisted he stay and have tea to catch up. He had a feeling he would end up staying longer than to ‘catch up.’ When he first got on the train after his meeting with Roy, he had planned on bypassing Resembool and had considered getting on the next one out to Xing. That had felt too much like running away. And he hadn’t visited Winry in a long time. Stopping in to visit was an overdue courtesy he owed her. 

“So, what brings you out this way?” Winry stood next to the table and set a cup of hot tea in front of Ed. Then she sat down with her own. “I didn’t think you’d be in the area for awhile. I thought you’d be tied up with errands the next month or so.”

“I wasn’t planning on it, but I had a change in my schedule.” Ed looked down at the table and moved his fingers along the smooth wooden surface. “Some things came up, and I have some extra time.”

“The last time you called, you had mentioned that you were helping General Mustang out with some things.” Winry picked up the spoon from the sugar bowl and put one scoop in her cup. “How’s that working out for you? What does he think about having you around again?”

“Fine. He’s fine with it for the most part.” Ed looked out the window and then back at Winry, who only gave him a look that said she knew he wasn’t telling her everything. “Overall it’s going well. It’s fine.”

Winry frowned. Ed almost never repeated himself like that unless he was nervous about something. “What sort of thing came up?”

“We had a fight the last time I saw him.” Ed swallowed and he could feel his leg start to move under the table. “That’s why I got some time off. We fought. It ended awkwardly for us both.”

“Didn’t you two fight a lot when you were in the military?” she asked before taking a sip of her tea. 

“Eh, was more like bickering. I mean, there were a few times we actually fought, but I don’t know. This time felt different, you know.” Ed couldn’t explain it properly, but he knew he hated the nasty feeling it left in him. 

“Everyone fights at some point or another.” Winry looked at him, her cup still halfway from her mouth. “So what happened this time to make it different?”

“He made me so mad. God, Winry, he made me so damn mad.” Ed put his head in his hands and peeked out through them. “I had gone to Creta to pick up some information for him, and I guess I didn’t do it the way he had hoped or the way he thought I should have.” 

“In other words, you were reckless.” Winry set her tea cup on the table. 

“Hey! You don’t know that.” Ed’s face heated from embarrassment. “I’m not as reckless as I used to be.”

“Oh, please. Ed, we both know better. You know how he is with people working under him.” Winry’s smile faded when Ed looked away. “What happened? What really happened that has you so spooked out? It can’t be from one fight. Did he send you away for good?”

“No, he didn’t. But… I think I pushed too much too soon.” Ed turned back and gave her a weak smile. “You know, tossed myself in deep when I should have felt things out more.”

“That must have been one hell of a fight then if even you feel that you pushed too far.” Winry reached out and took Ed’s hand in her own. “I think you two will be fine. Give him a few days to cool down.”

“Nah, that’s not the problem, Win. The fight I can deal with. It’s not like we haven’t argued plenty before, but,” Ed leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. “I kissed him right in the middle of it instead of working it out. But we were getting nowhere and he was so damn close.

“I didn’t know what to do. We weren’t agreeing on anything, and even though a part of me knew he had the right to be mad, I couldn’t let it go. I had worked so hard to get that for him, and he acted like the information didn’t even matter. And then I did that, and he probably thinks I did it to shut him up.”

“Oh.” Winry looked down at the table then back up at Ed. “What did he say about it?”

Ed put his hand over his eyes. “He didn’t say much. Only asked what kind of game I was playing and then basically told me he was heading back to Central and didn’t want me to follow.”

“As in he doesn’t want to see you anymore?” Winry carefully asked. 

“No. Not like that. More like he needs space, which is fine, but it’s also hard to do.” Ed put his hand into his lap and sat back up. “I don’t even know why I did it, you know. I mean, I know why I did, but it could’ve been handled differently. Done it at a better time.”

“Ed, sometimes there is no right timing for things like this. If you keep waiting for the right moment, it passes you up.” Winry placed her hands around the tea cup and her expression became thoughtful. “I’m not disagreeing with you that it may have been inappropriate, but when exactly were you planning on telling him?”

“I don’t know.” Ed looked down at his tea, which was probably cold by now. “I wanted to ease into it more.”

“But you’ve been saying that for a long time now,” Winry pointed out. Her expression softened when she saw how upset Ed was. “Look, I’m not saying that taking things slow is a bad idea or that timing doesn’t matter, but at some point, you have to do something about it. I’ve never seen you hold back on anything else before, but when it comes to this sort of thing, you freeze up.”

“It’s not easy putting yourself out there. It’s not like fighting or telling someone off.” Ed closed his eyes and rubbed his hand across them. “It’s complicated. You know I’m not good with this. And even after how much I’ve prepared myself, I just… it’s so much easier when it’s not someone you like.”

“That’s because you’re putting the tenderest part of you where someone else can see it, and when it’s someone that matters, you risk getting hurt.” Winry took his hand in hers again. “Ed, look at me.” When Ed opened his eyes back up, she smiled. “At least he knows. And if he were that disgusted by it, he wouldn’t have implied he needed space.” She squeezed his hand. “Stay here for a few days and let him think it over and then go to Central and see him.”

“Won’t that be weird? Me staying for a few days?” Ed didn’t want to interrupt her life with an unexpected visit. “It’s not like I called or planned this ahead of time.”

“It’ll be fine.” Winry finished off her tea. “Ian won’t mind. He’ll be in Youswell until next week so the company will be welcome. Besides, it’s been awhile since you’ve stopped by, and I’m not done grilling you about where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing.”

“That almost sounds like a threat.” Ed laughed at her enthusiasm. He really wouldn’t get out of it if he stayed. It really had been too long. “Speaking of catching up, how’re things going for you? Every thing coming along for the wedding?”

“Yeah, I think we got it all worked out.” Winry grinned. “Now it’s a matter or waiting for the day to arrive. You’re coming, right?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Ed grinned back. “I have it marked and something short of the apocalypse would keep me from it.”

“Or a certain General that may need your help in more ways than one,” Winry teased. 

“Oh god, Winry, don’t even say that.” Ed folded his arms across his chest. “If something comes up, I’m blaming you for it just so you know.”

“That’s probably the only reason I’d accept if you didn’t make it, and only if it was to help him with something important. And I don’t consider a roll in the sheets important enough to miss it.” Winry leveled a stare at him. “I don’t care if the world is ending, you had better be there.”

“When I go back to Central, if I talk to Roy, I’m going to tell him you said that.” Ed laughed when she reached out and lightly smacked him on the arm. 

“Don’t you dare drag me into this. One of you is enough to deal with. He’s almost just as bad as you going back to Central and telling you not to follow.” Winry laughed. “Honestly, Ed, when you get back, talk to him.”

“I will. I’ll need to anyway, regardless of what happened or what will happen.” Ed finished off the lukewarm tea in one go. “It's not something I want to avoid.”

“Good,” Winry smacked the table and shot him a mischievous smile. “It's settled then. You'll stay here for a few days and let things cool down before going back. By then you both should have a better handle on how you feel.”

“Yeah, sure.” Ed felt like a weight had been lifted and suddenly he realized how tired he was. He tried but was unable to stop a loud yawn from escaping. “Damn, sorry about that. Didn’t think I was this tired.”

“You do look exhausted. You did when you came in, but I think you were too worried to even notice.” Winry looked at him closely. “When’s the last time you got a good night’s sleep?”

“I don’t know. It’s been awhile. Been moving around a lot lately, though I was in Central for a bit. The past couple of days I probably only managed a couple hours of solid sleep.” Ed stood up and pushed his chair back against the table. “Okay, so now that I'm here, what do you wanna do? Need help with any chores?”

Winry’s face grew thoughtful. “I'll go get one of the extra rooms ready for you. My last customer had left a couple hours ago so I'm free the rest of the day.” She stood up, grabbed Ed's suitcase, and headed to the stairs. “So how's Al doing? I haven't heard from him in a couple weeks.”

“Last we talked, he was good. He came with me on one of my errands for Roy.” Ed stifled another yawn and followed her up the stairs until they stopped in front of her parents’ old room. 

“You can stay in here.” Winry opened the door and set Ed’s suitcase down. “I figured it might be easier considering it’s only been a little over two years.”

“Yeah, it would.” Ed stood in the doorway and looked around, impressed with how clean it looked. “It’s not even dusty in here.”

He had never really been in her parents’ old room before. Pinako had always kept it closed off, and Winry stayed away. When they were kids, he and Al had always slept in Winry’s room. The room had a large window in the middle of it with light blue curtains pulled open. The bed was next to the wall and would give him plenty of room to toss and turn without falling off. 

A small dresser sat next to it and there was a larger chest of drawers on the opposite side. It almost seemed like too much space for him. 

“It’s nice. Thanks, Win.” Ed leaned against the framework. “It’s much nicer than most of the places I stay at.”

“I started keeping it maintained a few months ago. I figured now that granny’s gone it was about time I used it for something else rather than let it collect dust.” Winry pulled Ed inside. “You look tired. Why don’t you take a nap, and I’ll wake you up for dinner.”

“Are you sure? I can help you out with making dinner or do something else for you.” Ed took off his outer shirt and folded it up. He yawned again. 

“Ed, when’s the last time you relaxed. Like really just took some time and did nothing?” When Ed opened his mouth to answer, she interrupted. “I mean for more than ten minutes… without your brain going over something. Even if you’re not doing anything in particular, you’re still going. You don’t shut down like most people. Take a nap and sleep some of that funk you have off.”

“Yeah, but, it’s not that easy.” Ed watched her go over to the bed and turn down the blanket. It did look tempting, and it had been so long since he slept in a real bed and not in a hotel room. 

“I don’t want to hear it.” She went over to him and maneuvered him over to it. “You need some rest.” 

“Jeez, you’re still as bossy as ever,” Ed complained but nonetheless sat down on the bed. “Why did I stop by again?”

Winry laughed. “You stopped by because you needed someone to listen and tell you that it’s okay if you take it easy.”

“Thanks for that. Really. Thanks for listening.” Ed pulled the tie out of his hair and set it down on the small dresser next to the bed. “Sometimes it helps me to work things out if I say it out loud.”

“It’ll be fine. I know it will.” Winry walked back over to the door and paused. “Get some sleep. I’ll wake you up in a few hours.”

Ed settled down into the bed and the last thing he remembered was hearing the soft click of the bedroom door closing. 

~*~  
Roy sat down on the same park bench where Ed had bought him lunch before he left for Creta. Riza stood nearby with a calm look on her face. The sky was fairly clear and sunny out. Overall, it weather was pleasant. For a Tuesday afternoon, the park seemed unusually empty and quiet. He had thought there would be mothers out with their small children, enjoying the last remnants of fall. 

Small birds flew from tree to tree and chirped each other. He wondered what they were saying to each other or if they even had a particular language among each other. 

The office had been slow yesterday and today so he had been able to reserve his evenings to look over everything Ed had brought back with him. This morning he had slipped all of it to Breda when he first came to work. He had done and ordered it all the best he could and needed another pair of eyes to sort through it all. 

From what he gathered, soon there would be a move made against him. It was something he should have been more concerned with, but instead Roy found his thoughts repeatedly returning to Ed and what had happened between them. It didn’t help that some of the information had been coded. 

Normally, he would love taking on the challenge of puzzling it out himself, but now it felt bothersome. Ever since Ed had called him in the middle of the night, he hadn’t slept well, only broken naps here and there throughout the night. 

After a few days of fighting the lack of sleep and the drudgery of reading through paperwork, he had decided he would take his lunch out of the office. He invited Hawkeye to come with him so he would have some company. 

“It's a beautiful day out today. Though, it may not last long.” Roy looked up at Hawkeye and then at a few clouds coming in from the east. “Sit down and join me.”

“It looks like it will rain later tonight.” Hawkeye settled in next to him and waited. 

“I have a bit of a problem on my hands,” Roy began, hoping that he wouldn’t have to elaborate any further.

“Does this problem involve someone else?” Riza asked, keeping her tone neutral. “Someone who you’ve been around quite a bit lately?”

“Yes, it does.” Roy smiled at her. It had been a long time since they’ve sat down and played this game. “Someone who’s very intelligent and quick. Someone we both know.”

“Does this person work in the military or only for you?” She turned and looked up at Roy. 

“Only for me, though at one time he did work for the military,” Roy replied. “It’s been quite a few years since he has.”

“What did he do to cause you to worry?” Riza’s eyes darted around to make sure no one else was around. “What could he have done to make it a problem? This person has always dived in head first and taken rather large risks, right?”

“He kissed me.” Roy looked out to the street instead of at Hawkeye. “That’s what he did, among a few other things.”

“In the room at the bar? I had heard muffled arguing through the door.” Riza mused. “That would explain the way you both were acting when I came in and why it had gotten quiet all the sudden. It also explains your behavior the day after he visited you.” She leaned back against the bench and put her hands in her lap. “How long have you suspected? Or did something happen then too?”

“Yes, you have come in at an interesting time.” Roy sighed and put his hands on his thighs. He purposely chose not to address her other observations. “I’m not sure how to proceed with one.”

“With caution and directly.” Riza’s hand bumped into his side. “How else would you consider dealing with it?”

Roy glanced over at her. “I don’t know. Carefully and firm. Or I could wait it out and see what happens.”

“I don’t think that would be wise, especially since this has probably been going for longer than you’ll admit to.” Riza gave him a sharp, disapproving look. “That would be cowardly, Sir. Don’t you think he deserves better than that?”

“Of course I do.” Roy’s fingers dug into his thighs. “I know he does, and I don’t plan on ignoring him. But it’s not that simple. It would be easier if he would let it go.”

“But he’s not someone to take the easier route or to let something go if he really wants it,” Riza calmly replied. “It wouldn’t be a good idea to put this aside for too long before addressing it.”

“No he’s not.” Roy had never seen someone more determined than Ed. “I don’t know how this is going to change things between us. I’m not even certain I should still have him running errands for me.”

“I think he’ll still want to help you out,” Riza said. “If you take that away from him now, it will only complicate things. It will not only make him feel unwanted but unneeded.”

“I know that, but I’m not sure I can send him away like that again.” Roy turned to look at her. “How can I when he’s willing to be so reckless.”

“You’ve sent people you’ve cared about on far worse before,” Riza countered. 

“This is different.” Roy lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. “It’s not the same as what we all do here.”

Riza frowned. “How so? I fail to see how this is different than what you’ve been doing for years. You’ve always been able to separate your personal feelings if it would interfere with your work.”

“Not always.” Roy could still remember exactly how he felt when he had finally hunted down Envy. Even though he had learned from that experience, Roy knew that keeping his personal thoughts and feelings out of the equation wasn’t something he could do. He didn’t want another death on his hands or another person whose last remnants of innocence he corrupted. 

“When it comes down to the hard decisions, you do what you need to do.” Riza carefully looked him over. “In the end, that’s who you are, Sir. And we all follow you not because we were ordered to but because of you.”

“There are times when it’s not who I want to be.” Roy sighed and sat forward. “I could keep him regulated to easier things until I work it out, though it seems like a horrible waste of his talent not to mention insulting.”

“I think that maybe you should figure the other problem out first, Sir,” Riza said. 

“True. It would be helpful to know how he really feels about this.” Roy knew he’d need to talk to Ed soon. 

“I would think you’d already know the answer to that.” Riza stood up and looked down at him. “He’s not the type of person who would do something like that without it meaning something to him.”

Roy stood up as well and smoothed out his pants. “You’re right. I shouldn’t waist time on thinking about that when the answer is clear on his end.”

Riza waited for him to start walking and followed. “The only thing left to figure out now, Sir, is how to do you feel about it?”

Roy stopped and turned his head to the side. “I, I’m not sure yet.”

“Then I suggest you work that out before you see him again,” Riza said as they started walking towards Central Headquarters. 

“He’s too young.” Roy dropped back so they were walking side-by-side. “That’s another problem.”

“Sir, would you feel that way if he were a woman?” Riza spared him an annoyed glance. 

“What does that have to do with anything?” Roy nodded to a group of soldiers who stopped to salute him. 

“There are many men I know who have younger wives or women they’re attached to,” Riza explained. “I’m not saying this situation is exactly the same because it’s not, but I fail to see how his age would cause you any grief. It would be different if he were still a child or still in the military, but he’s not. Neither of those things are a burden for you.”

“I guess not.” Roy saw the Central Headquarters come into view so he picked up his pace. “Do you think something like this could cause problems with some of my other goals?”

“I’ve seen a few men, higher in ranks have questionable dalliances with men,” Riza quietly replied. “It’s not something that’s talked about, but we both know it happens and that it’s often overlooked.”

“It does, however a good deal of them aren’t trying to achieve what I am,” Roy pointed out. “I also need to make sure this won’t complicate that.”

“I think the people, overall, like you well enough. Your popularity has risen a great deal since you’ve returned to the East,” Riza paused and then let out a quiet sigh. “I think as long as you don’t flaunt it, most people either won’t catch on or will look the other way.”

“That would mean no public outings that couldn’t be passed off as a friendly meeting.” Roy wasn’t sure he liked the idea of keeping a relationship hidden. “I’m not sure that would be fair to him.”

“Then let him decide that. Tell him right away so he can make that choice,” she countered. “Are you going to eat today, Sir?” Riza asked. “I know you haven't been sleeping well, but eating will help.”

“I'm sure I can grab something on my way through and take it up to my office.” Roy laughed a little over her observation. “I can't get anything by you, can I?”

“If you could then I wouldn't be doing my job properly.” Riza smiled at him. 

“And which job would that be? Watching my back or keeping me in line?” Roy asked. “You seem to enjoy doing both.”

“Both, but especially keeping you in line. It's not an easy task. And it's one that needs constant attention. As much as I’d like to berate you more over this, there are too many people around now.” Riza stopped when they reached the steps to Headquarters. “After you, Sir.”

Roy took the lead and walked up the steps. A soldier stood straight and saluted. Roy gave the courtesy nod he normally reserved for most. He heard Hawkeye's footsteps close behind him. Instead of heading towards the stairs to his office, he veered left to where the mess hall was. 

“I’m going to go back to the office, Sir, unless you want me to accompany you.” Riza stopped in the hallway. “I should get your remaining paperwork sorted out for the day so that you’ll be done at a decent time.”

“Yes, that would fine.” Roy gave her a quick nod of his head. “Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel.”

“You’re welcome, Sir. Enjoy your lunch.” She gave him a firm salute and then they parted ways. 

Roy turned back around and thought more on their conversation. There were days, especially at a time like this, where he wished they could catch up over dinner and talk as real friends instead of superior and subordinate. He needed her guidance now more than ever so that he didn’t inadvertently ruin his friendship with Ed. 

It had been a few days since he had last seen him, and Roy wondered when he would turn up again. Not knowing where Ed had gone only left him feeling tense and made him wish he had asked for a point of contact. 

He started walking towards the mess hall again. Perhaps Hawkeye was right. He needed to eat and hopefully tonight, sleep. Tomorrow he could work out what happened and how he would proceed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me forever to get the first scene somewhat situated. But it's done ^^
> 
> This is a turning point for this story. I'm pretty sure I passed the halfway point around chapter 8 or 9, or maybe sooner? Hard to say since things that were supposed to happen in chapter 7 didn't happen till 9. But everything after this will be finishing up the political end and working out things for Ed and Roy. 
> 
> I'm guessing maybe 5 or 6 more? Really it's a guess, tho because when I first started this story I thought it'd maybe be 10 chapters. 
> 
> lol... _right_.


	11. Chapter 11

“Sir, I decoded all of this for you.” Breda handed Roy a stack of documents and waited. 

“Thank you.” Roy briefly looked through the information before neatly putting it together again and setting it down on the table. “Have a seat.” He motioned towards the couch and waited for Breda to sit down before joining him. “Any suggestions on what we should do with this?”

Breda ran his hand through his short hair. “I think we should take care of it as soon as possible, Sir. Leaving something like this alone will only make it worse. And it will give them a better chance of succeeding. From what I could gather, they have a working plan to assassinate you before the month's end.”

“Setting up an operation now will be difficult.” Roy knew if he absolutely had to, he could pull the proper strings to get the time off work, but they would be limited with help. It was one thing to go out with his team, another to pull in old friends from other departments. This wasn't the same as when they defeated Father and his homunculus. “If we do it now, I’d only be able to guarantee the six of us.”

“Six?” Breda frowned. “I’m sorry, Sir, but isn’t Ed helping you out with this? One extra person could make a difference. It would certainly help us to get information back and forth between each other.”

“He was but I don’t think it’d be a good idea to bring him along, not this time,” Roy simply answered, unwilling to discuss or expand on that topic. 

“Why not? Ed would be suited to something like this.” Breda looked down at the information again. “This is something he’d be good at doing. He moves quick, picks up on things easily, and he would know the terrain better than any of us.”

“Still,” Roy paused and leaned forward. “Ed doesn’t always know when to stop with things when he should. He could end up compromising the team he's on. I need to have everyone willing to pull back if necessary not risk one of us going rouge to finish the job. I don’t want to have to worry about him while we’re doing this.”

“That last part sounds more like a personal issue, Sir,” Breda said. “Shouldn’t the mission come first? I doubt Ed would would do anything that extreme to put everyone else in danger.”

“The mission _does_ come first. Regardless of whether or not it's a personal issue, if I feel it will compromise the mission in any way, regardless of how small the possibility, then it's out,” Roy explained, annoyed that he had to have this conversation with Breda when they hadn't even discussed much else. “Right now, we need to focus on coming up with a workable plan that the six of us can handle.”

“I don't think that he would, especially if you both worked side-by-side, but alright, well, we should divide everyone into groups of two. That will leave two groups for the field and two to stay behind.” Breda looked at him but said nothing more on the matter of Ed. “We'll have to give ourselves more time so we can cover as much ground as possible.”

Roy picked up the papers and began reading through everything. “Alright, that makes sense.” He rubbed the side of his head, trying to think of how to approach this situation. “Something like this has the potential to get out of control. We'll need to be quick, and more importantly, we need to make sure we leave no trace of this behind. The Fuhrer will only approve this if I can give him my word that Creta won't know who we are. They can suspect but leaving proof will only complicate matters and could get us into a world of trouble.”

“Right. Have you considered confronting the Cretan government, Sir and asking them about this?” Breda asked. “I know that doesn't sound ideal but calling them out on it may prompt them to quit.”

“Yes, I have. Though, I don't think it will do any good. The last check I had done, the man Ed retrieved this information from has gone missing.” Roy was pretty sure he could figure out what happened to Albert Cohn, and what would likely happen to any of them if they weren't careful enough. “I think at this point, they'll deny all knowledge and send someone else to finish the job.”

“And if we do get caught?” Breda pushed one of the papers Roy had set down to the side. “What then?”

“Then, we'll probably be on our own, although, I can't say that with certainty. Not until I've had the chance to discuss this with the Fuhrer. But the political implications...” Roy blew out a quiet breath and leaned back. Before he could worry about that, they needed to on what was in front of them first. “Where do you think we should start with all of this?”

“Well,” Breda scooted closer and pulled out a map from his pocket. He unfolded it and laid it out on the table “I think we should start here. From what I gathered from the information, they planned on making their move somewhere near the western border. In a few weeks we have our tests in West City. That's where it's held this time, and they obviously know about it.” He moved his fingers along the map. “Based on that, I've narrowed it down to they would set up about here.”

Roy looked at the circled area. It wasn't too far from where Ed had been. A little further south but still close enough to Amestris for them to get in and back out quickly. “What's this here?” He tapped his index finger against a spot on the map that had a square drawn on it.

“That would be where I think they have their base of operations. It's not an exact location but somewhere for us to start looking,” Breda answered. He turned the map more towards Roy for a clearer view. “I think we need to come in from the north, probably a couple miles, and then move down. It will be easier that way. Cut straight across from West City and then down. Whoever is working on the communications end should stay across the border. They should move south with us only from the other side.”

“Alright. That shouldn't be a problem except how will we communicate back and forth?” Roy set his hands down on his knees. 

“Fuery has been working on something for a couple months now. I believe he told you about figuring out a way to track people.” Breda looked at Roy intently. “I asked his yesterday how it was coming along, and he seemed to think he could finish it by the end of this week if he set aside other things.”

“That still doesn't seem like we'd be able to contact them.” Roy didn't like the idea of anyone being isolated. 

“Communications will be sketchy at best, Sir. Regardless if they're in Creta, none of us will have access to a phone,” Breda pointed out. 

“You're right. Okay, I'll tell him not to worry about anything else so he can work on getting it finished. I can pick up the slack for him.” While Roy didn't like the thought of piling on more work into his schedule, this was more important. 

“If you need to, you can always split it up between us all, Sir.” Breda wore a slight look of concern on his face. “You've already been staying late almost every night while the rest of us go home on time. That would lessen the load on you without adding too much more for everyone else.”

“It's... fine.” Roy appreciated the suggestion, but he could handle it. “Right now, I have all of you where I need you, working on what needs to be done. Add this on top of it, and I'll need everyone even more focused than before. I know it doesn't seem like much but any extra work will make a difference.”

“What about you, Sir?” Breda asked.

“I'll be fine. It's my job to pick up the extras. I don't have a wife or children to look after.” Roy gave him a reassuring smile. “One of the benefits to staying single is that it leaves more time for this.”

“When do you plan on telling everyone about all this?” Breda changed the subject but still gave Roy a thoughtful look.

“Hawkeye knows all of it except what you discovered. I've been keeping her updated on the rest in case anything unexpected came up.” Roy felt like he was having two conversations with Breda. The unspoken one peaked his curiosity, though he wasn't sure he wanted to pry into it further. “We could do it now. Everyone else should be coming back from lunch soon.”

“Now would be a good idea. I don't think you should wait too much longer,” Breda agreed. “The sooner we all work out a solid plan, the better.”

They both knew how delicate this situation was and how careful they would need to be while making plans. Roy unfolded his hands and stood up. “I'm going to run and make a copy of this for now. If anyone else comes in, have them stick around.”

Breda nodded his head as Roy left the inner office. Normally, he would use the one Hawkeye kept around but had recently been sent for minor repairs. The closest one to his office was located a few doors down. General Forester's secretary should be there. She rarely went out of the office for lunch. He would often hear her typing whenever he walked by to head to the mess hall. 

Sure enough when Roy peeked into the General's office, she was sitting at her desk, typing. He cleared his throat and smiled at her. Her fingers stopped moving and she looked up at him. She pushed back her blond hair away from her face. 

“General Mustang, Sir,” she stammered and a light blush rose across her cheeks. “Is there something I can help you with?” 

“Actually, yes, if it's not a bother. My copier is broken, and I wanted to ask if I could use yours.” Roy stepped into the office and tilted his head a little. For the world, he couldn't remember her name and hoped it didn't come up. “Do you mind if I interrupt for a minute?”

“No, Sir.” She shook her head and stood halfway to salute him when he motioned for her not to worry about it. “I can do it for you if—” 

“It's fine. I got it.” Roy smiled again and moved behind her desk where the copy machine was located. “I'll be quick about it, I promise.”

He made the copy, smiled once more, ignoring her fidgeting the sides of her uniform, and left. Roy didn't want to still be there when General Forester came back, nor did he want to end up in a conversation he couldn't get out of. It was difficult enough that most of his peers looked down on him for rising in the ranks so quickly, but some were worse than others. Forester fit nicely into that category and would not be pleased to have Roy anywhere near his secretary or his office. 

Roy walked quickly down the hallway and slipped back into his office. No one else seemed to be around yet so he went back into the inner office. Breda still sat with one leg crossed under the other, on the couch only now Havoc had joined him. 

“Breda was filling me in a little.” Havoc looked up from the map. “Looking through this information, Sir. I agree it's more than a six person job. Have you told Ed about it?”

“No, I haven't,” Roy simply said. He had to wonder what Breda had told Havoc while he stepped out. “And I wasn't planning on it.”

“Don't you think—” Havoc started to say, raising his eyebrows a little. 

“I've already thought about it.” He cut Havoc off. Roy ignored Breda and Havoc’s questioning looks between each other. “I'll get you up to where we are right now. We’ll have six us, four divided into teams of two and Falman and Fuery to run the lines.” 

“We figured that we can do it with six, but it’ll be tight. It would be easier if we had at least one, if not a few more people to cover more ground.” Breda’s fingers moved along the map. “Or... there really should be at least three of us on communications so one person can go on runs if needed.”

“I could try to ask a few others to help out, but considering they have their own things to do, I don't think the Fuhrer would approve of their leave.” Roy sat back down and took out the part he had copied. Setting it down on the table he let Havoc look over the plans. “Still, we _can_ work with what we have.”

Breda gave him a skeptical look. “Sure, we already decided that we can do it. I'll readjust some things. I had originally thought you'd at least have Elric come along but since you don't want to go that route, let me see what I can do.”

“Alright,” Roy stacked the papers together into a pile. If that was how it was going to play out, he'd stop and wait. With each person that came in, he would probably have to explain it all over again. “Let's get together again once more when everyone gets back from lunch then we'll meet again tomorrow and go from there. That will give us all time to think it over and see what we can come up with.”

“Sure. Where did you want to meet up at and will it be here or?” Breda asked. 

“I'm thinking here. Getting us all together outside of the office won't be easy.” Roy glanced at Hawkeye. “Most likely, we'll need to keep going over this, here, during our lunch break.”

While fraternizing with subordinates was generally looked down on, he doubted anyone would report him if he went out for a drink with his men. Hawkeye would be a different story. He could think of so many ways that could go wrong. Nor could he really come up with a good excuse to have her come along with them. No one had a celebration coming up or a birthday.

“Havoc, I need you to get everyone else in here so we can go through this now.” Roy wanted to get this moving forward as quickly as possible. “We'll plan to making a counter attack soon. Hopefully within the next week or two.”

“Yeah, okay. Everyone should be wondering back in soon anyway.” Havoc stood up and stretched before heading out to the outer office. 

Breda still had a look of disapproval on his face along with something else that Roy couldn't quite read. Neither of them said anything. Roy knew Breda caught on quickly to everything said. Was it possible by not elaborating on his issue with Ed coming along had made Breda suspicious to the reasons why?

Roy stood up and went over to his desk. With all of them in here, it would be easier for him to see everyone else from here. Then he could properly assess their reactions and thoughts. He wanted more than anything to observe and listen. 

It didn't take long for Havoc to poke his head back in. “Telling them as they come in, Sir.” 

Falman and Fuery filed in behind Havoc and took a seat on the couch. Roy stayed at his desk and waited. Hawkeye was the last one to come in the room. She quietly shut the door behind and locked it. Once she sat down, Roy waited for everyone to settle in. 

When he felt he had their attention, he began. “I haven't said much about this, but all of you know about the incident in Creta a while back when we brought Edward back with us. We were all there then and knew what had happened.

“You also are aware that I've been having him gather information for me due to that incident. The last time I sent Ed out, he did manage to procure some information for me. A good deal, actually. For the past week, I've had Breda looking it over since then.”

“We've come up with a tentative plan,” Breda interjected. “But it will need all of us working together on it.”

“The operation will also have to be quick, efficient, and we'll be working on a tight deadline for it,” Roy added. “We'll have to work in three two-person teams. One will stay behind and the other two will be out in the field. Right now that's the best I can manage.” 

“What will we be doing, Sir?” Hawkeye asked. “And is this something the Fuhrer knows about?”

“He knows why I sent Ed to Creta. All I need to do is schedule a meeting with Fuhrer Grumman and explain what we've recovered. He's already given his approval for us to handle this,” Roy answered. “I'll make sure I keep him updated on this.”

“Sir, have you decided who will work in what area?” Fuery asked. 

“Not yet, though I do have an idea of how we'll work it.” Roy folded his hands together. “I think the best way would be to have you and Falman work the communications end of it while the rest of us hit the field.”

“That makes the most sense,” Breda cut in. “Have each team work a different section until we can find what we're looking for. Even though I have it narrowed, we won't be sure until we get there.”

“Yes, that's what I was thinking as well.” Roy appreciated having Breda working for him. He always had valuable input. 

“Sir, have you spoken to Edward about this?” Hawkeye took a step closer to his desk. “I think it would be best if he knew.”

“I wasn't planning on discussing this with him just yet, Colonel.” Roy knew after everyone else left his office, she would probably having something to say to that. “I think at this point, telling him would only tempt him to join, and right now that wouldn't be good for either of us.”

“I still fail to see how that would be a bad thing.” Havoc only shrugged when Roy gave him a dirty look. “I don't. Sorry but he's more than capable of doing his part. And he's spent a lot of time in Creta. More in the past few years than the rest of us ever will in a lifetime.”

“I agree. Why haven't you talked to Ed about this?” Fuery asked. 

Roy was beginning to regret informing his team that he had Ed running errands for him. Now it seemed they were expecting Ed to be a part of this automatically. Roy sighed and lowered his eyes for a moment. “There have been some complications with Edward that I'd rather not get into right now.”

“What possibly could have happened between since you sent Ed back out to Creta and now?” Havoc asked with a perplexed look on his face. “Last time I talked to Ed, he seemed fine. In fact, oddly excited to be doing your dirty work... no offense, Sir.”

Roy pushed his hair back. “None taken,” he ground out. “I'd rather not talk about it since it has nothing to do with this.”

“Then it really shouldn't be a problem for you, Sir,” Breda said. And again, Roy had to wonder why he kept bringing it up. 

“They're right, Sir,” Hawkeye stood up and moved closer to him. “If it will help, you should consider it more.”

Roy looked sharply at her. She of all people had to realize... “I really don't think that's a good idea, Colonel.” 

“You're acting awfully strange, Sir.” Havoc frowned but didn't look away. “Normally you're not so... tight-lipped about something like this. At not with us when we're doing _this._ ”

Neither Falman or Fuery said anything about that. Instead they closely looked back and forth between Roy and Havoc, watching for answers. The room was far too quiet for his liking. Roy had expected more active participation. And Ed kept coming up whenever someone did give input. Maybe he was wrong. How could he explain to all of them he didn't exactly trust himself to make the best decisions with Ed around. 

Sighing, he leaned back. “We had a disagreement and things escalated in an unexpected way. There's nothing more I want to say on the matter. If I let Ed in on this, it will be too much of a distraction for me.”

“If you say so.” Havoc merely shrugged. “But you're one of the most focused people I know.”

Roy had a feeling Havoc would ask Ed about it the next time he saw him. Hopefully, he could put this whole mess behind him before then. At least then, he wouldn't have to worry about things feeling awkward here when he still needed to sort things out with Ed. 

“Now that we've moved on from that and it's decided that we will be working with only the six of us,” Roy looked at each one of them sharply, almost daring someone to say something else, “Breda and I have come up with a tentative plan. Or at least a place to start.”

“We're going to break off in groups of two, right?” Havoc ran his hand through his hair. “Do you know who will be paired together?”

“Yes, Breda and I will be going together,” Roy held up his hand when Hawkeye opened her mouth. He already knew what she had to say about it. “It makes the most sense with what we've got. You and Hawkeye will be the other field team with Falman and Fuery staying behind in Amestris to run communications for us.

“Fuery, Breda brought up your project. Those trackers, do you think you can have them ready to go before the end of the week?” Roy asked. “I'm willing to pick up any work here so you can focus on that.”

“I can do it no problem, Sir.” Fuery adjusted his glasses. “There's not much left to do with it anyway. I need to configure a few things to make sure it works properly. We should probably do a few test runs beforehand to make sure it works the way you need it to.”

Roy gave Fuery a short nod. “Alright. Keep me updated, and let me know when you'll be ready to do a test run.” 

“What should the rest of us be doing?” Riza asked, moving closer to his desk. She looked down at him with a questioning look. 

“I'm still working out a final plan. By the end of the week, I'll make sure you each have copies of this, and I'll keep everyone updated as I go. Any other objections?” Roy looked around the room at his team. None of them said anything. They were ready and so was he. “Alright, dismissed then. For the rest of the week, we'll all meet in here during lunch so bring something to work with you. Dismissed.”

They all stood up and saluted him. Roy watched them all slowly file out of his office. If Hawkeye left now that meant later he would surely hear about the meeting from her. He looked down at the small pile of paperwork on his desk then over to the information Breda had given him. 

If he started now and didn't take any small breaks, he could have his regular work done in an hour. That should give him time to look over the plan again before more work came through. Roy would take any extra time he could get between whatever he had to already get done. 

First he needed to make that appointment with Fuhrer Grumman. Roy would need his entire team with him, and for that, he'd need to go through the proper channels. Picking up the phone, he dialed and waited, hoping that before the end was out, he'd have the meeting and an exact time for them to move out. 

~*~  
After paying the driver, Ed stepped out of the cab and looked around. It was already close to ten, and only shadows of light from the lit lampposts spread across the building in downtown Central. He let his suitcase dropped to the ground and pulled his arms over his head to stretch his muscles. After being on a train for a few hours and then sitting in a cab from the station, his body ached. There were sore, tight spots along his upper and lower back. 

The night air had gotten considerably chillier. Ed saw the first few snowflakes start to fall and melt against his skin and hair. Winter had held off long enough in Amestris this year, and he had wondered when the weather would turn finally turn cold. He really should have layered up before coming here. His warmer accidentally got left behind in Resembool. Still, It felt great to be back.

If he wanted, he could walk to Havoc's apartment from here and drop in to change. But he wasn't planning on staying outside for very long. Madame Christmas' bar was nearby. That place more than anywhere else seemed his best bet to hang out and get his thoughts sorted out. 

At first he had considered contacting Roy right away, but on the train ride back, doubt had managed to sneak its way back in his thoughts. Doubts he thought he had cleared away, told Winry were no longer an issue. He had done enough recon the past couple of months to learn when he needed to more information or when to pull back. After the last incident, Ed felt now was as good a time as any to prove to Roy that he could improve. 

If he needed some time to feel his way around first, he'd take it. He could respect Roy's request and give him space. He had to admit, he had needed the time away as well. But now Ed needed to move forward. So he had asked the driver to drop him off near the Bar. 

The walk there didn't take him long, only a few stores down, and soon he saw the familiar plain sign hanging in front of it. Briefly, he wondered if Roy would be there. It would save him the trouble of making a phone call, although, it would throw him head first into it. For something like this, he wanted to know ahead of time. Make himself more presentable. 

Ed stood for a moment, hands stuffed into his coat pockets before pulling the door open. The warmth that blew across his face felt welcome in comparison to the cold outside. 

“Hey, kid.” Madame Christmas smiled at Ed from behind the bar when he walked through the door. “I see you're back.”

Ed looked around and noticed several booths had customers in them. He nodded to her and went to the bar. Sliding onto a stool, he leaned in close and kept his voice low. “How've things been while I've been gone?”

“The usual,” she answered with a small shrug. “Though, you wouldn't happen to know why your friend has been sulking lately? He came in here a few times looking worse for the wear.”

He caught on that Roy's name had been purposely left out. “Ah, yeah, that's probably my fault. Sorry.”

“I doubt you're completely to blame even though you look like you could stir up some trouble if you wanted.” She gave him that shit-eating grin that he had become fond of. “Vanessa and Madeline are in the back room if you want to hang out with them tonight. There's stock back there so you can help yourself.”

“Are you sure?” Ed had to admit that he could use the conversation without screening what he wanted to say, but still, he couldn't remember when he actually paid for a drink here. 

“Sure, it's busier tonight so I won't be good conversation, and they looked bored the last time I was back there,” she said as she wiped down the counter with a damp towel. “Did you need something to take back with you?”

“Nah, I'm good.” Ed craned his neck to look around the counter and saw the door. He waved to her one last time and headed back. “See you later.”

Ed had never noticed or bothered looking back here before now. Sure he knew Madame Christmas had to get her supplies from somewhere, but it wasn't something he had dwelt on. Now he could definitely see the benefit of using this, especially when she had regular customers lurking around. The room could easily be used for other means. 

He opened and closed the door, setting his suitcase against the wall. Vanessa and Madeline were both sitting around a short table, with drinks in hand, laughing over something he had walked in on. Ed looked around the small room, which mostly had stores of alcohol and supplies. An unused deck of cards sat on the corner of the table. 

Vanessa and Madeline were the only two back here. That was fine by him. The less people around, the better. Ed smiled and closed the door, getting their attention. “Hey.”

“Ed!” They both said at the same time. 

“Did you just get here?” Vanessa asked. “We haven't seen you around in awhile.”

“Yeah, not too long ago. Heard you two were back here. Figured I'd say hi.” Ed took off his coat and toss in the back of the empty chair. He swung his leg around and sat down backwards on it. “I missed this place. Feels like it _has_ been a long time even though it's only been a couple weeks.”

“Yeah, you weren't gone that long.” Madeline giggled. “But it did feel boring without you visiting. We were beginning to miss your stories.”

“Glad to know I've been missed.” Ed grinned. “How's it been going while I was gone? Did either of you do anything new or exciting?”

“The usual. Nothing new.” Vanessa poured Ed a drink from the bottle in front of her and pushed the glass over to him. “We have a few clients come in and take us out. Boring men with nothing interesting to say.”

“I guess that's better than having someone come in and give you a hard time. Still, someday you should get out and see more of the world and then you can tell me your own stories about it.” Ed winced when he took a drink. It tasted strong, though not bad. He opened his mouth then paused before deciding to push forward with it. “Hey, has Roy talked to either of you lately?” He couldn't help but ask because that was the one thing he wanted to know the most. 

“He did come in a couple times over the past couple of weeks but not much,” Madeline answered. 

“And when he did, he didn't say much.” Vanessa licked her lips thoughtfully. “He didn't seem like himself, honestly, especially when he came in the other day. All he did was act strange.”

“What do you mean, he was acting strange?” Ed set down his empty glass, which was immediately refilled. “What did he say?”

Vanessa turned her head to the side and shrugged. “He didn't say much of anything, really.” She tapped her finger against her face. “It was weird. I thought for a second, he'd tell us something important but then Madame Christmas came by and stopped him. She said something about how he shouldn't be talking about that here.”

“It reminded me of that one time, years ago.” Madeline poked Vanessa's shoulder. “You were there for that. Right after Roy came back from the war.”

Vanessa nudged her back. “Don't bring that up.” 

“Hey, don't do that. Now I want to know even more than I did two seconds ago.” Ed watched the two of them exchange looks like they were silently talking back and forth in some sort of code. He also wondered what Roy had talked to Madame Christmas about. If it had to do with him, she didn't seem angry about it. He scooted closer to the small table. “What happened?”

“Sorry, Ed. I don't think we should.” Madeline gave Vanessa another look. “It would probably make things weird for you if you knew and get us both into trouble. Forget I brought it up.”

“I don't know. He gives Roy that look sometimes.” Vanessa put her chin in the palm of her hand. Her cheeks had a slight pink flush to them. “Not sure how much it'd bother him.” She glanced at Ed. “I'm right, aren't I?” 

For the first time that night, Ed realized that both of them had a lot to drink so he decided not to push anything. Still, that didn't mean he wouldn't listen for anything important that might be said. 

Ed only shrugged and pretended he had no idea what Vanessa was talking about, though he could accurately guess. Even now, after all these years and his decision not to push, he couldn't quite kill the idea of equivalent exchange. If she was going to ask him something, deep down, he wanted information in exchange.

“Hmm, he does but...” Madeline gave Ed a particularly hard, scrutinizing look. “Still, Roy would probably kill us. That's not something anyone talks about here.”

“I'm sure he really wouldn't,” Ed teased. “But yeah, if you don't wanna share, that's fine by me. I'm sure Roy will appreciate it at least.”

“See. He's not going to admit to anything. Only evade.” Vanessa nudged Madeline again. “I told you no matter how nice he is, he was a State Alchemist. They live by that code.”

“That's true. Old habits die hard.” Ed couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of him. He leaned forward and braced his hands on his knees. “You two are something else. Really, you don't have to say anything and probably shouldn't. If you're trying to weasel something out of me, then you're going to have come out with it. I don't do hints.”

“That kind of question would be too embarrassing to ask directly.” Madeline covered her mouth and laughed. 

“It's still weird. The entire thing.” Vanessa was looking at Ed thoughtfully, changing the subject back to where it was. She filled his glass again.“Why didn't you come back with Roy? He went out there to get you, right? Out past West City. He came in before he left and mentioned it. So why didn't you come back with him? And then after he does come back, he barely says two words to anyone and always looks like he's got something on his mind.”

“I didn't come back because I had other stuff to do, and we got into a fight.” Ed watched both of them exchange glances and frowned. He finished his drink and wiped away the residue from his mouth with the back of his hand. “It's nothing, really. Friends fight sometimes, especially when they don't always agree on some things.”

“Oh, it sounds like it's more than nothing.” Madeline looked at Ed from over the top of her glass. “You are important to Roy so that explains it. He might act like he doesn't let things bother him most times, but if you're in his small circle of friends a simple fight could throw him off until it's resolved. He'll still get his work done, and most people won't even realize it, but it's noticeable to those of us who know him.”

Ed rubbed his face with both his hands. “I know. Though it's good he still gets his work done. Don't think anything can stop that.” 

“Roy's been a workaholic for as long as I've known him. He'll focus on the important things but,” Vanessa paused and then shrugged. “Once he's done with that, he gets quiet and withdrawn. If you had a fight then you should call him. Soon since it's getting late.”

“Yeah, okay, I'll do that when I leave.” Ed hiccuped once and the scowled. “Damn, I'm glad there're hotels near by.”

Vanessa and Madeline laughed. Ed pushed his glass away. There was only a little left in the bottom. The last thing he wanted was to get picked up for public intoxication. While normally he could call for a ride, it was too late for car service. 

“If you have any trouble you could always stay with one of us for the night,” Madeline suggested. “We both live nearby so it wouldn't be far.”

“Nah, thanks for offering, but I'll be fine. A walk'll do me some good.” Ed leaned back in the chair. He should leave soon if he was going to call Roy. It was one thing to call late when he had something important to say, another to tell Roy he had come back. 

Ed stood up and stretched. “Well, think I'm gonna head out and make a call then take a walk.” 

“Bye, Ed. Good luck.” Vanessa waved goodbye to him. “It was nice seeing you tonight!”

“Don't let him give you a hard time,” Madeline added with a smile. “Thanks for coming by and keeping us entertained.”

“Sure,” Ed picked up his suitcase and waved back as he opened the door. “Stay safe.”

After closing it quietly behind him, Ed looked around. Most of the bar had cleared out. It made sense since it was still the middle of the week. Most people had to work tomorrow. Only one couple sat in a booth and talked quietly to each other. 

Ed paused when Madame Christmas looked over at him. “Gonna head out and get a place to stay.”

“Maybe next time we'll catch up, and you can tell me what you were doing the past couple of weeks.” She grinned at him as he left. 

“Sure, though there's nothing exciting.” Ed glanced over his shoulder and returned her smile. “I'll be back soon.”

He pushed open the door and let it close behind him. Outside had grown marginally colder and there and the snow had started to set on the ground. Now that he somewhat had his bearings, Ed wanted to find a phone booth and call Roy. His conversation with Vanessa and Madeline had given him a lot to consider. Though, he also wanted to talk to Roy as soon as he could. Leaving things unsaid any longer would only drive a larger void between them. 

The sun had long set, and last time he checked his watch it read a quarter after ten. Roy should be home now. If not, Ed would call tomorrow night or later on. That would only mean Roy had an extremely long day at work and probably didn't want to talk anyway. 

Ed spotted a phone booth several feet away and headed there. He had had a lot of time on the train to think about what he would do when he first got back. 

He slid the coins into the slot and waited. His fingers moved along the side of the phone and down to the small shelf where people could write if they needed to. 

When he heard the other end pick up, Ed gripped the cradle of the phone tightly. “Hey, I'm back in Central.”

~*~

It had been another long night at work when he finally left. By the time Roy made it home, he barely just turned the door knob and opened his front door when his phone began to ring. Ed had been away long enough that the possibility it was him seemed too great to ignore. He quickly closed the door behind him and locked it. 

He slipped off his shoes, tossed his keys down on the small table, gently set his files next to them, and picked up the phone. “Hello, Mustang speaking.”

_“General, so glad I could catch you tonight,”_ the voice on the other end said. _“I’m collecting one of the favors you owe me.”_

That wasn't the person he wanted to deal with tonight. But Roy had agreed to be ready to return the favor when asked. And he had needed to ask for more than one. The phone call he had made at the end of last week enable Breda to decode the information Ed had found for him. 

“Okay. What do you need?” Roy leaned against the wall and waited. 

_“Tomorrow, at noon, send your subordinates out to lunch. I don’t care what reason you give them, but I want you alone in your office,”_ the man said. _“A woman, wearing a red dress and black coat will come to your office with a small stack of papers. I want you to sign off on all of them.”_

That would delay his plan for them to all meet in his office during lunch. The timing for this couldn't have come a more inconvenient time. Still, the option to say no wasn't there. 

“Aright. I'll send them out. What’s written on the papers?” Roy asked, knowing he probably wouldn’t get a clear answer in return. 

_“You’ll find out tomorrow. It’s nothing that should be difficult for you to handle, but it will help me out greatly,”_ the man replied. _“General, this is something I won’t take a refusal on. If you do this for me, then I'll consider both of my favors to you paid in full. That should be enough incentive for you to get this done.”_

Roy sighed, leaning against the wall. The idea of paying off his debt to this man almost canceled out the set back. “That’s fine. I didn’t say it’d be a problem. I’ll look it over when I get them tomorrow.”

_“See that you do that and don't forget to sign **all** of them. I'll know if something was missed. Have a good night, General,”_ he coolly replied and then the dial tone came over the phone, which only annoyed Roy even more. 

Their agreement had always stemmed on making sure they were available if needed. Still, with everything else on his mind, he would have appreciated one less thing to add to his growing list. 

Roy set the phone back down on its cradle. He couldn't afford another distraction right now. And he still had to deal with what happened with Ed. Sorting that out could take time. A part of him wanted to tell Ed they'd have to wait until this blew over, but each time he seriously considered doing that, his conversation with Hawkeye came to mind. She had been right. Ed deserved better than to be pushed aside. He would have to squeeze it all in and deal with it.

He pushed away from the wall, took off his coat, and hung it up in the small closet near the front door. There were a few things he wanted to look over tonight. After being berated by his team earlier, he knew that if he wanted to stick with his decision, he had to make sure there were no holes in his plan.

Of course they had been right to tell him those things. He knew it as well as they did. And normally, he would have relented. Ed would be useful. But Roy didn't trust himself with having Ed come along. If something went wrong his focus and concentration would be broken. Right now, he couldn't afford to have that happen regardless of how everyone else felt. 

As long as they could manage without Ed, Roy felt it was the right call to make. He knew that pushing Ed out now would cause more trouble. Possibly hurt feelings. 

But it wasn't as if he intended on permanently removing Ed as an informant. He only needed time to reevaluate everything and make sure he had Ed where he wanted. Roy had to make sure he, himself could handle it. It was one thing using his team an another taking someone so young along for the ride into his schemes, especially if there were romantic feelings involved. 

Not when it was this dangerous, and Roy still hadn't figured out if Ed was doing this because of his feelings or doing it because he wanted to. Roy had speculated over this enough to come to the conclusion most likely a bit of both were the reasons behind Ed helping him, but until he could be sure, he couldn't allow Ed to put himself at risk for this. 

Tomorrow they would begin their preparations. As the weekend drew near, he would see what else he could dig up. Fuhrer Grumman had agreed to a meeting tomorrow afternoon. Then Roy would ask for permission to head West. He would get it. The meeting was only a mere formality. The Fuhrer wanted this wrapped up and swept underneath as soon as possible. 

With peace put on hold with Creta, this only complicated matters for Grumman. Amestris couldn't afford to be at war with two countries. Roy hoped he would be able to send a message to Creta that it wasn't worth their time trying to assassinate him. The government there was already having trouble keeping its States together. 

There had been a few attempts at war there already within itself. No one really knew what was going on with the government in Drachma, but there seemed to be dissension there as well. Roy could use it to his advantage if he wanted and undo what he had been trying to accomplish the past few years. 

Amestris had the benefit of having State Alchemists and the organization to use them as deadly weapons. Risking something like this either spoke of desperation on the part of Creta and Drachma or showed a lack of knowledge. War always built up the economy and brought in money to the victor. If war broke out, Roy knew they had a better chance of winning, though the cost of life would be immense. They had to do this in such a way that would get a message across without starting a war. 

Roy gathered the files he had brought home with him and went to his study. He sat at his desk and settled in for a long night to look it all over. Before he left work, Breda had mentioned that the ongoing communications between Creta and Drachma seemed broken up. There were still some pieces missing, but they had enough to fill in the blanks. Roy rubbed his temples. He now had lost a day to work with his team, although they could exchange information through notes.

When he heard the phone ring, Roy startled in his seat. He looked towards the open door and at the hallway. For a moment, he considered ignoring it but stood back up. This time he hoped it wasn't another favor needed of him. 

He stood up and left his study when it didn't stop ringing. Grabbing the phone, Roy put it against his ear, “Hello?” His voice had taken on a sharper tone than he intended “Can I help you?” 

_“Hey, I'm back in Central.”_ Ed's voice came over the line, surprising him a little. 

Roy felt relieved more than anything. He was glad Ed had come back. “Good, because we need to talk.” His voice still sounded strained, too tight for his liking. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Sorry, it's been a long day, and I had thought you were someone else calling. How have you been?”

_“I'm good, nothing new to tell, really,”_ Ed paused, and he sounded nervous to Roy. _“And I.. agree that we should talk about it. Wanna meet up soon? Tonight's probably out cause it's late but what about tomorrow night?”_

“Tomorrow night is fine with me. Preferably out, in public,” Roy suggested. “Where are you staying for now? If you'd like, I can pick you up around nine.”

_“I haven't gotten one yet. Didn't get a chance to,” _Ed replied. _“I can meet somewhere if you want. Maybe the bar or somewhere else would work. I just came from there so my room will probably be close by.”___

__“If you'd like,” Roy replied casually. “We can meet up there, probably around ten to be on the safe side. I might have a longer day at work. And without knowing where you'll be at, I won't be able to contact you.”_ _

___“Sounds good.”_ Ed hesitated and let out a shaky breath. _“It's... good to hear your voice again.”__ _

__“Likewise.” There was a slight pause on the other end again so Roy cleared his throat. “How long do you plan on staying in Central this time?”_ _

___“That depends on you. If you'd like me to stick around for awhile, I'd be happy to.”_ Ed quietly answered. _ _

__Roy exhaled softly. Now that he knew Ed was back, a part of him was surprised at how relieved he felt. “I think that would be best. There are things we should—”_ _

___“I know. I think so too but don't wanna be pushy about it,”_ Ed interrupted then cursed softly. _“Sorry, didn't meant to cut you off.”_ _ _

__”It's fine, Ed.” Roy smiled and closed his eyes. “It's late and we've both had time to think it over and then turn it over again. Sometimes that makes it all the harder to know where to start.”_ _

___“That's true. Been figuring out how this would go since I went back to Resembool.”_ Ed laughed. _“Okay, so tomorrow then. Sounds good,” Ed simply said. “Good night.”__ _

__“Good night, Edward. See you tomorrow night.” Roy hung up the phone and set it back down on its cradle._ _

__Roy stayed where he was, still looking down at the phone. The nervous excitement he felt hit him harder than he thought it would. He moved his fingers along the edge of the table, wondering how their meeting would go tomorrow, temporarily pushing aside his thoughts on the mission. He would get back to that, later. For now, he had other things to consider._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weirdest chapter I've written for this so far in that I cut and rewrote 95% of it. I have a good deal of 12 done so that will be along once I work out some conflicted feelings I have for the content. There may or may not be some smut next chapter. Dunno. It really will depend on how right it feels for them. It will also be almost exclusively a Roy and Ed chapter. 
> 
> I'm sure there could have been more, but I'd like to move this story along and get it done, which means the posting schedule will be random and the rest will be posted as finished. 
> 
> I plan to keep focusing on this fic to finish it up before I go back to my other series.


	12. Chapter 12

His breath came out in cold, white puffs, and his feet crunched over the thin layer of snow on the ground. Ed leaned back on his heals and eyed up the door for a moment. The 'closed' sign had been flipped for the night, but considering his pre-made plans with Roy, he stepped forward, turned the handle, and grinned when it opened up for him. 

Ed closed the door behind him and pulled the hood of his coat down. He took off his gloved and rubbed his hands together as he let the warmth from inside wash over him. His hair was still a little damp from his shower, and with the chill of winter setting in, he hadn't wanted to risk getting sick and had worn a warm coat. 

Vanessa looked back at him from the booth. “Lock up, Ed. Roy's behind the bar, waiting for you.” She waved and went back to her conversation with the rest of the ladies. 

Ed clicked the locked on the door, then walked over to the bar and slid onto a stool. “Hey.” He waved to Roy, who simply smiled at him and finished making a drink. It was strange seeing Roy behind there instead of Madame Christmas. “So how come you're back there tonight?” 

“Madame had to run some errands. I told her I'd make anything while she was away.” Roy's smile widened. “Of course, she made sure to turn the sign around to 'closed' before she left so I didn't taint her image by making terrible drinks. Still, despite that, I'd like to think I'm not too bad at making them. Growing up with her, I picked up a few things here and there.” 

“Hey, if the political ambitions don't pan out, least you'll have something to fall back on.” Ed's lips twitched upwards as he tried to keep himself from grinning. 

“Indeed.” Roy pushed the glass over to him. “Try that one out. I think you'll like it.” 

Ed took a rather large swig and then regretted it. While the taste wasn't too bad, Roy had made it strong. Too strong to drink down like he just did. Ed coughed a couple times and waited until his eyes stopped watering before glancing back up. 

“How was it?” Roy quirked an eyebrow at the face Ed made. He gave Ed a lop-sided smile. “Be honest. Do I stand a shot at this?” 

“It could use a little work.” Ed wipe away a droplet from the corner of his mouth. “It's strong. Tasted more like a shot than a regular drink. What'd you put in it?” 

“Many things.” Roy pulled over a few bottles. “Some rum, a little gin, tequila... vodka,” He snapped his fingers, startling Ed a bit, “I know what I forgot. Let me try it again.” He took the glass away from Ed and set it aside to make another. “This one will taste better, I promise.” 

Ed ducked down. For a split second he had thought Roy was going to use alchemy. “Yeah... you do that, but could you not snap your fingers without warning me first.” Once he had time to get his bearings it seemed silly that he had almost thought flames would come from that. Roy wasn't wearing his alchemy gloves nor did he clap. But it had been enough to startle him, though. 

Roy only laughed. “I don't think you've ever made me mad enough to do that to you. Although, there were a few times when you were working under me that I considered the benefits of wringing your neck.” 

“That's good to know, and hey, it's not like you hadn't done anything crazy back then.” Ed watched Roy work quickly. After pouring all the alcohol into the glass, Roy mixed in a few other things to sweeten it. “So what did you miss with the last one?” 

“I forgot to add the sour mix to it.” Roy finished shaking the drink and set it down in front of Ed. “There you go.” 

“So... what are you really doing back there tonight? Seriously helping Madame Christmas out or some other reason?” Ed couldn't contain his curiosity. And Roy's reason seemed like a cover for something else. Or maybe it simply seemed weird to see Roy doing something so mundane and normal. 

“I thought trying something different might make it less...” Roy almost said suffocating but that didn't quite describe what he felt. “I thought it might be more relaxing for us this way, and she really is out on errands.” He nodded to the drink he made Ed. “How is it?” 

Ed took sip this time to be on the safe side. Surprisingly, it the taste was sweet, though not sickeningly so. “Much better.” He lowered his head and tipped the glass back enough so he could finish it without spilling any. “Really good, actually.” 

Roy only smiled at him again. “Another one?” 

"I'm good..." Ed set the glass down and looked up. Roy was watching him so casually and their conversation was so normal and calm that it almost felt as if they had done this a hundred times before. Then it hit Ed. Roy had probably been here for awhile. He seemed more open than usual. Probably had a few drinks, which would explain why he seemed so relaxed. “Are you sure you wanna do this tonight? I can come back tomorrow if that's better for you.” 

“No, tonight is perfect.” Roy leaned his elbows on the counter and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. “I assure you, Edward, I'm not drunk if that's what you're worried about. I only needed to take the edge off today, that's all.” 

“Not worried so much as sometimes people say things they don't always want to say after a few drinks, and then they can't take it back and shit gets awkward.” Ed tapped his fingers against the glass. “Rough day at work?” 

“It was a long day.” Roy really didn't want to get into work related issues, especially when they had nothing to do with Ed. “But I got through it.” He always managed to push through somehow even when a part of him wanted nothing more than to give up. 

The main source for his headache had been that favor he owed. While it turned out to be simple enough, Roy didn't like signing off on promotion papers for people who didn't have the qualifications nor did the work to earn it. Still, he had done it like he had been asked. And there was little reason for anyone to suspect otherwise. It wouldn't be the first time a General used their influence as a favor for a friend or relative. 

“You have go in the regular time tomorrow?” Ed asked reluctantly. He was hoping that wouldn't be an issue when he had only got here. “Don't want to keep you up late if you have to be up early.” 

“I'm only going in for a half day tomorrow,” Roy explained. “Hard day at work but the benefit is that I managed to do what I needed for tomorrow morning. That's not why you're here, though, to listen to me complain about work.” He moved in even closer until his face was only inches away from Ed's. “And if you kept me up late, I'm sure it'd be time well spent.” 

Ed actually had the good sense to blush. He felt his face warm a little at that last comment. He always knew Roy Mustang was no slouch when it came to flirting, but experiencing it first hand felt different. The delivery was so smooth and casual that he couldn't help but wonder if Roy intended it to come out as suggestive as it had. Probably, judging by the half smile he received. “If you wanna talk about what happened, it's okay.” He honestly didn't mind listening to Roy talk about his work. Even though he knew what went on behind the scenes, it had been years since he lived it. “Though, can't really blame you for not wanting to.” 

“I had some things to take care of for another contact of mine along with the usual politics and paperwork. All of which are very boring, I assure you.” Roy left out the meetings with his team. If he brought it up now, it would only distract Ed. He would say something tomorrow about it when he was a little more clear-headed and could handle any kind of reaction he might get in return. “I'd rather not bring something so dull and mundane with us tonight.” 

“Ah, I see.” Ed stared at his empty glass for a little while. He knew where this was going. “You'd rather get right to it, huh, and talk about what happened out west.” 

“Are we going to say it?” Roy's voice lowered to a more serious tone. “I think that's a good place to start. You kissed me, and it didn't seem like something spur of the moment. And if Hawkeye hadn't come in when she did, I don't think either of us would have stopped right there.” 

“Already told you I was serious about it.” Ed's eyes slid down to Roy's hands, focusing on their size and the slight signs of calluses on them before looking back up. “But, I'm not going to push anything either. I'd like have the chance to prove that we'd be good together.” 

“What makes you think we wouldn't try to strangle each other after awhile,” Roy teased. His lips twitched as he held back a grin. 

“What makes you think that's a bad thing?” Ed let out a short, amused laugh. “I've seen a lot of people who are together and never fight or argue and dunno, it's weird. It's like one of them isn't contributing much and just goes along with whatever. Personally, I'd rather be with someone who has their own thoughts and goals. Doesn't matter if it always matches my own.” 

“I work a lot. I'm never home. I stay late at the office, and,” Roy paused then sighed, “We'd have to keep something like this quiet, Ed. Unfortunately, we wouldn't have the luxury of displaying our affections publicly.” He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “Not with the position I hold. It's one thing to have a relationship with another man and keep it quiet, even if people suspect, but displaying it out in open isn't an option.” Roy personally felt Ed deserved better but denying their attraction to one another wasn't an option either. 

Ed wiggled in his seat and looked behind him. Somehow he needed to make sure no one else in the room was paying attention to their conversation. “I know that. And I don't think I'd even want to be overly affectionate in public anyway, regardless of who I was with.” He had plenty of time to think about this and knew that Roy couldn't afford anything to mar his reputation. “Still, do you think it'd be too hard for us to work around all that? I already know what you do is going to be your priority. It has to be. There are too many things, too many people depending on you. I get that.” 

“I don't think it should be, though.” Roy's eyes had almost a regretful look to them. “This is one of the reasons why I put something like this to the side. When you're with someone, they should come first, before anything else.” He smiled, but this time it didn't reach his eyes. “I guess I'm old fashioned when it comes to things like this, but I like to think I have a little more class than to treat someone I'm with as secondary to my job.” 

“Don't you think it'd be worth a shot if it gives you a little happiness and the other person is agreeable to the conditions?” Ed asked, taking Roy's hand into his own. “You've been doing this for so long sometimes I wonder if you even know how to put your needs first. If I'm okay with it then you should be okay with it.” 

“Some things are worth it, Ed.” Roy smiled, pulling his hands back, and set them both on the counter. “Climbing to the top offers little time for personal things. It's easy to miss or pass up opportunities when they present themselves, especially when you're used to doing that.” 

“If you don't make time for yourself, you'll only burn out.” Ed turned his head to the left and sighed. Turning his attention by to Roy, he swallowed. “It'll happen eventually, Roy. It always does no matter who it is.” 

“And you think that will change somehow if we're together?” Roy searched Ed's face for any signs of hesitation. He would never admit it to Ed, but he had already burned himself out years ago. Now, he felt like the wick of a candle burning at both ends. It was only a matter of time before his job completely consumed him. 

“No. I know it's not gonna change, but it'll help.” Ed moved his hand forward until it touched Roy's again. “I can help.” 

“You've already helped me out in ways I could never repay you.” Roy carefully constructed his words. He didn't want them getting into an argument tonight. “This kind of work I've been having you do is dangerous.” 

“Not looking to get repaid. It's something I willingly agreed to,” Ed simply replied. “I know what it involves. Still here. Even after getting shot and getting hit on by some sleaze bag or other unpleasant things that will probably happen. You know I won't stop helping you no matter what.” 

“But why?” Roy took Ed's empty glass and made another drink. They were going to be here for awhile, and he only starting to get down to what he really wanted to know. “Is that the reason why you're doing this because putting your life in danger for—” 

“I remember when I was still working for you, right before the Promise Day," Ed cut in, taking the offered drink. "Oh man, then you used to drive me crazy, and I hated it sometimes.” He tipped his drink back but then stopped short of taking a sip. “This was right before we started the plan to take out the homunculi. I was still with Greed. I kept thinking, wondering what we were going to do. Winry had asked me to stop Father. She insisted that I promise to make it right. 

“It pissed me off because I didn't really know if we could, _or how_ we would even do it. I felt so outclassed then, in that moment, but I also knew that you would be there, and it helped. Because, no matter how much of a pain in my ass you were, I knew I could count on you, trust you." He took a drink and set the glass back down on the counter. "You want to know why I'm here? Because, I care about you, about this country. Because, I got your back, and it helps just knowing you'll have someone around who has your back even if taking on that responsibility is dangerous.” 

“Alright.” Roy poured himself another shot of whiskey. “But don't you think it will be a conflict of interest? Because, I do.” 

“Conflict for what?” Ed finished off the drink. If Roy was going to drag conflicts of interest into the equation, he might be tempted to have another one because he really couldn't see an issue there. “It's not like I'm in the military anymore.” 

“Ah, you're right I suppose. There's no outright conflict. Nothing that would get either of us thrown in jail for fraternization, but,” Roy pulled the glass away from Ed and made another. Clearly, there were aspects to this idea that Ed hadn't considered, but he had thought it over several times. “I didn't know how comfortable you'd be running errands for me and doing something like _this_. There will be the job and then the relationship, two very separate things.” 

Ed's expression grew thoughtful. Roy seemed to be holding back, although he _had_ mentioned a long day at work so it was possible he was tired and had a little too much to drink. Ed sighed. “It'll be fine. I think doing both will make it easier to get information back and forth. And even if we argue about one, that won't extend to the other. At least I don't think it will as long as we're both willing to know when to pull back.” 

Roy couldn't help but smile at Ed's somewhat naïve outlook on it. There was a reason why fraternization was frowned upon in the military besides the obvious risk of unwarranted favors. That line between the working relationship and personal one was always crossed eventually. And he couldn't guarantee he'd be able to pull back when appropriate. Not with Ed. “I like that version of events better.” 

“You know,” Ed nudged his drink off to the side, “the thing with variables are that if you're careful enough, you can usually control the outcome of them. Especially if you're prepared for it and know the different outcomes of your actions. Not saying that we'll never have any trouble with the two getting muddled, but at least we know how well we do work together even if we don't always agree on methods.” 

“Controlling variables. That sounds like alchemy, Ed. And what we're considering isn't the same thing. You already know that.” Or, perhaps Ed didn't know that... yet. He poured himself another shot and set it next to Ed's. Roy moved around from the counter and sat down next to him. “If you want another one, let me know. I think after this one, I'm done for the night.” 

“I'm good.” Ed could feel Roy's body heat. He had never realized how close together the bar stools were before now. “Not much of a drinker.” 

“It's not the best habit for most people to have,” Roy calmly said. “Though one or two usually helps take the edge off.” He'd leave out that he had passed that number before Ed even got here. 

“I've going around by myself for way too long for that.” Ed's hand moved closer to Roy's but he kept from touching. “When you have to have your own back, you learn to stay away from it. Besides, there are better ways to take the edge off of a shitty day.” 

“Or when you drink too much and get sick from it.” Roy grinned. “I hear you had a few interesting experiences with that.” 

“She told you?” Ed laughed. He almost felt betrayed but knew Madame Christmas' loyalties were with Roy first. “Damn, didn't think she'd say anything.” 

“If it helps, she didn't. It was only mentioned that you told her some interesting stories before you left. She seemed slightly put out that you wouldn't spill everything to her.” Roy broke the distance between their hands and gently rested his on top of Ed's. “They won't say anything about it.” 

“Did you already tell them.” Ed glanced over his shoulder. At least none of ladies were watching them. 

“I think they figured out how you feel,” Roy teased. He gently moved his thumb in a circular motion over Ed's knuckles. “Apparently, I was the only one who didn't notice.” 

“It's always harder when it's you.” Ed knew he hadn't really hid anything, but still, considering they hadn't said or teased him about it, he was impressed. “Maybe it was when we met here or something.” 

“I think they know me more than I realize.” Roy had been taken by surprise himself when he came here tonight and had questions tossed at him about Ed and what exactly their relationship was. 

“If it's safe then is this okay?” Ed moved his hand away until it settled on the lower part of Roy's thigh. 

“I suppose so. Though moving it any higher might make it difficult for me to leave without embarrassing myself.” Roy was only half joking. Having Ed so close to him was already hard enough. “Then we'd have to try and sneak out the back door before any of them noticed.” 

“I don't know... they're pretty damn perceptive. I think they'd catch on.” Ed grinned, grateful that they had been given some privacy. “We could always blame it on some weird alchemical reaction. Say I showed you something new.” 

"That would be one hell of an alchemy trick to cause that kind of reaction.” Roy laughed before giving Ed a quick kiss on the cheek. “They've been around me far too long to believe something like that, although it would be entertaining to see their reaction." 

“See, we even agree on ways to mess with other people.” Ed touched his cheek and then glanced over at Roy. He hadn't been expecting the kiss. His mouth felt dry and words escaped him. He was caught in the intense gaze directed towards him and couldn't look away. He understood why so many women were interested in Roy. With eyes and smile like that directed towards him, he felt his heart beat faster. “So, are we... I'm not sure if you wanted to, you know, never really got an answer from you.” 

“I believe I already have, but if you're looking for a yes or no, the answer is yes, I want to be with you.” Roy took his watch from his pocket and checked the time. Saying he wanted to be with Ed out loud made him want a setting that provided a little more privacy. “It's getting late. Want to get out of here?” 

“Yeah, sure—” Ed removed his hand from Roy's thigh and stood up—"I'll walk you home." He took his coat off the back of the stool and put it back on. “Or, did you drive here?” He wasn’t so sure about driving after downing a few drinks. "Cause not sure I'm good behind the wheel right now." 

“No, I walked. My home isn't too far away.” Roy placed his hand on the counter and used it for leverage to stand up. “And I would delighted to have you walk me home otherwise my night will become dreadfully dull.” 

Ed reached back to the counter and grabbed a mint from the little tray. He would need that to take away the taste of alcohol lingering on his breath. While he looked around for Roy's black coat, the mint was snatched out of his hand. Ed turned around just in time to see it disappear into Roy's mouth. 

“You just took...” Ed stood there, surprised and a little stunned, before a smile crept across his face. Roy was acting playful, a side to him that Ed wasn’t used to seeing. “I can't believe you just did that.” 

Roy leaned against the counter, looking like a cat that was about to catch its next meal. “I'm sure you'll say that more than once tonight.” 

“Uh huh,” Ed finally spotted the black coat behind the counter. Even with the teasing, he was pretty sure after he got Roy home, he end up leaving or sleeping on the couch. “Sometime you'll have to show me all these surprises you have.” 

Ed only received a curious look in return. His mouth twitched as he held back a grin; Roy was gauging his reaction to see if he'd sass back. Instead, he walked around behind the counter and grabbed the coat for Roy. This time when Ed took a mint on his way back around, he made sure to put it in his mouth before this one was stolen from him too. 

Roy tugged on his arm and steered them towards the door. Ed barely got in a quick wave goodbye before they were outside. The chill of the air made him shiver, though at least his hair had dried. He moved closer to the warmth next to him. How anyone could produce that much body heat was a mystery to him, but Ed loved it. Roy stumbled a little as they walked down the sidewalk. 

It was only a slight movement forward, and Ed had almost missed it. He automatically reached out and grabbed a hold of Roy's shoulder. “You okay?” Maybe he had bumped into Roy when he moved in closer, though he doubted that would've been enough. "We can sit down and take a breather if you want." 

“I'm fine, Ed. My foot had caught on a crack, that's all.” Roy patted Ed's shoulder and shrugged it off. 

But Ed looked behind them, he didn't see any cracks in the walkway, although it was dark so he could’ve missed it. “At least we don't have far to go. Wouldn't want anymore cracks popping up outta nowhere.” 

Some of the buildings were starting to look familiar to him. Roy's house was closer than he realized. Ed grinned and scooted even closer to Roy. It would only take them a couple more blocks to get there on foot. 

The night had turned out much better than he expected. The sky was clear now, and the snow had stopped falling. _And_ Roy had admitted to returning some of his feelings. That in itself was enough to elevate his mood, but being invited to walk Roy home... As ridiculous as it made him feel, if Ed could glow, his body would be sending out beams of light. He had been meaning to ask Roy about the information he had given him, anyway, and this would give him the chance to casually do so. 

Now was as good a time as any to see if he could get an idea of where Roy was at with it. “Hey, when do you think you'll get that information I gave you worked out?” But instead of an answer, Roy sharply looked over at him with a look of mild surprise on his face. Ed stopped walking and furrowed his brows. “What?” 

“It's nothing.” Roy turned and looked straight ahead. “I was only thinking about some things. The information is..." His footsteps paused right along with his words before picking up again like nothing had happened. "It's coming along well enough.” Roy finished off by turning to Ed with an agreeable smile on his face. 

Some things never changed. Ed swallowed down his irritation and took a deep breath. He had a feeling those 'some things' involved him. Roy seemed strangely unwilling to elaborate to the point of possibly lying even though he had been fairly open about everything else tonight. And when Ed had brought it up earlier, Roy had used deflection to change the subject. “Did something happen with what I brought you? It didn't turn out to be a shitpile did it?” 

“Everything is fine, Ed.” Roy smiled again and put his hand on Ed's shoulder. “You don't have to worry about it. The information is fine enough.” 

There was a lingering unspoken 'but' at the end, leaving him to question what had happened while he stayed at Winry's. Or maybe he was being paranoid that his skills had been lacking. Maybe there was no lying or hiding involved. He considered pushing the issue but decided to let it drop only because it was late, and while Roy didn't seem too drunk, Ed knew he wasn't sober either. It could wait until tomorrow, after they both slept off the alcohol. 

Roy stopped suddenly, and Ed bumped into his shoulder. They were here. They were at Roy's house. The night had went by so fast. Ed felt a small lump form in his throat at the thought of saying goodnight. 

He took Roy's hands into his own, once again taking the time to appreciate the strength in them. “I guess this is—” 

“You want to come in?” Roy asked, turning his head towards Ed. “I only work a short day tomorrow so I’ll be up late tonight” 

“Yeah, I'd like that.” Ed trotted up the steps, and put his hand in his pockets while he waited for Roy to unlock the front door. 

Ed followed Roy inside and locked the door behind them. He shoved his hands into his coat pocket, and stood there, waiting. Words failed him for a moment. Roy invited him inside, but he had no idea what to say or ask. Now that they were alone, behind closed doors, his nervousness started to get the best of him. Only the pockets of his coat kept his hands from shaking. 

They both slipped off their shoes in silence. Somehow he had expected to make a more epic entrance tonight instead of standing in front of the door waiting for Roy to say something. Ed had waited for this moment for so long, now that it arrived it felt surreal. His eyes roamed around the small area to take his mind off how awkward he felt. 

The entryway had a small table with an antique lamp and phone sitting on top of it. The lamp, while dim, cast enough light around the hallway for Ed to see bits and pieces of what this part of the house looked like. To his left there was a door that had to have led to a closet. Probably what Roy used to hang his coat and maybe store an umbrella. 

When the silence stretched for too long, he cleared his throat. “So... I?” Ed started to ask but stopped. Roy said nothing and only stood there like he was waiting. For what, Ed wasn't sure. “Here, let me get your coat for you.” He slid Roy's coat off his shoulders, put it away in the small closet, and then did the same with his own. 

He felt a tug on his shirt, and when Ed turned back around, Roy grabbed him by the collar and pulled them both back against the wall. "Shit," Ed stumbled, his hands reaching out to stop from bumping into him too hard. Even in the semi-darkness, he could see dark eyes assessing him. He could hear Roy's breath coming out quickly. 

When he leaned in to kiss Roy, their noses bumped off each other, making him bark out a nervous laugh. Ed gently held Roy's head in his hands and pressed their foreheads together. "Sorry. Guess I'm a little clumsy." 

He brushed Roy's hair out of the way, and groaned contentedly when he finally felt those soft lips against his. 

The last time he kissed Roy, they had both been agitated. It had been heated but harsher and faster than he had intended. This time, Ed made sure to slow down. His tongue moved along the seam of Roy's lips, and Ed could taste whiskey on them, along with the mints they had eaten before leaving the bar. 

Roy's mouth parted for him, and Ed's tongue slipped inside, testing, teasing, exploring what he could get away with in one kiss. His fingers pushed upwards and then back, moving through Roy's soft hair. He loved how the thick, dark strands felt on his skin; Ed could bury his face in them and die a happy man. 

He gently sucked on Roy's tongue, pushing closer, molding their bodies together. He wanted to be as close to Roy as he could get until it felt like they were one being. Ed had never been so intoxicated by one person before. He was losing himself fast. 

The hold he had slipped downwards until Ed's hands rested on Roy’s shoulder. Ed slid them further down until they firmly had a hold of his waist and then back to squeeze his ass. Roy's body felt warm underneath his hands, like there was a fire burning beneath his skin. 

Roy pressed closer to him, grabbing his shoulders when Ed lifted him up and place kiss after kiss along his jaw and neck. He thrust his hips forward, pressing his half-hard erection against Roy's abdomen. "I wanna touch you so bad." Preferably, without any clothing to get in the way. 

He moved his knee between Roy's leg. The response was immediate and encouraging. Ed's breath quickened, and he exhaled a soft moan when he felt Roy's erection press against his leg. “What now?” Ed nudged his head against the side of Roy's face. He didn't know if he should end the night with a kiss when they were both hard and willing. “This is okay, right?” 

“I think we both know the answer to that.” Roy's fingers tightened their hold on Ed's shirt. “If this is something we both want, shouldn't we see if we can enjoy each other's company in a setting other than talking?” 

“So we're testing out our compatibility?” Ed grinned as he set Roy down, taking a step back. His skin felt so hot; he was still wearing too much clothing. Ed unbuttoned his outer shirt and let it fall to the floor. 

“Something like that.” Roy pulled Ed back to him, his mouth brushed against Ed's jawline. 

“I think we already figured out it's there.” Ed rested his head against Roy's with his hands pressed firmly against the wall. “Not saying no, but...” 

“You're worried I've had too much to drink.” Roy drew his left hand upwards until his fingers moved along Ed's ear. “While that's very thoughtful and considerate of you, I assure you I'm fine.” 

“Only you would still talk like that while drunk.” Ed laughed. “No one else does that.” 

“Maybe that's because I'm not.” Roy chuckled. His hands touched Ed's arms and squeezed. “I got home just fine.” 

“Right.” Ed closed his eyes for a moment and grinned. When he opened them, the smile was gone, though only because he wanted Roy to know how serious this was for him. “Still, I don't want to, you know... take advantage or anything.” 

Roy pulled him closer and anything else that he wanted to say was forgotten. “I don't think that's possible, Edward.” He moved Ed's hand downward to cup his own erection, then put his own hand against Ed's. “I want this as much as you do.” 

Ed moaned quietly. If Roy was offering, who was he to say no? There were so many things he had wanted to do to Roy and had spent hours fantasizing about how each one would turn out. The reality was far better, though. Ed couldn’t help but crave more. “I want to taste you.” His mouth trailed down Roy's neck, nipping and gently sucking. “Can I?” 

Ed went down on his knees, taking in each quiet, quick breath that came from Roy. He let his right hand settle on the hem of Roy's pants. He waited another moment before asking again in a low tone. “This is okay, right?” 

“Yes.” Roy's voice was gruff and low, barely above a whisper, but loud enough for Ed to hear. 

Ed undid Roy's belt buckle, buttons, and zipper easily enough. Leaning forward, he inhaled deeply, pressing his right hand to the wall for leverage. The smell of Roy's skin always drove him crazy. 

He didn't bother pushing the pants down. Instead, Ed moved the fabric of Roy's pants and boxers aside and took his erection out. Looking up, Ed guided it into his mouth, closing his eyes for a few seconds. He felt Roy’s fingers thread through his hair and heard a soft, choked sound above him. 

A smile crept across his lips when he noticed Roy had steeled himself tighter against the wall. Ed took him deeper into his mouth. Ed's left hand slid into the opening of the pants, and he cupped Roy's balls while he worked his mouth further down. 

The feel and taste of Roy in his mouth coupled with the soft moans above him, encouraged Ed. He hummed, watching to see what would happen. Roy's hand only tightened in his hair and held him in place. 

It felt almost surreal to be on his knees, in the entryway near the door, giving Roy head. Ed had never planned for it to go quite like this, but he would take what he could. 

Roy's hand still rested on his head, but now it didn't grab or pull, allowing him the freedom to move however he pleased. His tongue teased the head while he gave a harder suck. Ed's right hand moved behind Roy, stopping on the small of his back. 

His tongue moved down the side of Roy's erection and back over the head. Roy's other hand was pressed against the wall, his legs loosely spread a little. He pulled his left hand out of Roy's pants to hold and stroke the base. 

Roy was close. Ed could feel him hardening in his mouth and hear each quiet hitch of breath whenever he slowed down, sucked harder, took him deeper. 

When the first bit of cum hit his mouth, Ed tightened his hold on the back of Roy's hipbone and swallowed. He had wanted to do this for so long that the idea of wasting a drop never entered his thoughts. The taste in his mouth was a pleasant combination of sweet and salty, and Ed yearned for more. 

He sucked one last time before pulling back and wiping the corners of his mouth. Ed stayed hunched down on his knees, arms wrapped around Roy's legs and exhaled a content sigh. His forehead rested on Roy's stomach. By now, it had to be getting late. If he was going to head back to his hotel room, he needed to leave soon. 

Slowly, Ed stood and looked at Roy through his bangs. “I... should probably go?” 

“You should stay.” Roy put his hand on Ed's shoulder before he could grab his coat and shirt and leave. “It's late and,”—he nodded downwards—“I haven't returned the gesture.” 

“This isn't about that, Roy.” Ed bent over and picked up his discarded shirt from off the floor. “I wasn't expecting an equivalent tonight.” 

“That's... not what I meant.” Roy's hand settled on Ed's arm, stopping him from putting the shirt back on. “Stay, please.” 

“You're not gonna wake up tomorrow morning and regret this, are you?” Ed asked, looking down at the floor for a moment before meeting Roy's eyes again. “Because, I would rather go home than have that happen.” 

“No. I'm not going to wake up and regret this.” Roy pulled on Ed's undershirt, drawing him closer. He placed a chaste kiss on Ed's lips. “I want you here with me tonight.” 

“Okay. I'll stay then.” Ed barely got those words out before he was pulled down the hallway. 

Roy pushed his bedroom door and turned on the lamp next to the door. “I'm going to clean up a little.” He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it in the hamper. He opened a dresser drawer and pulled out some pants. “Make yourself at home.” 

Ed waited until Roy left the bedroom before setting his outer shirt with the rest of the dirty laundry. He wasn't sure if he should undress the rest of the way so he sat down on the bed and waited. The room was simple and tasteful. The walls were a soft cream color and the curtains a dark navy blue. The large beige blanket on the bed felt soft and warm underneath his touch. Everything was... overly neat, orderly, almost to the point of fastidiousness. Nothing looked out of place. Every odd and end had its place. 

Even though Ed was alone, he could still feel Roy's presence in the room. No matter where his eyes settled, it was all Roy. He rested his head against the palm of his hand, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. 

Now that it was starting to sink in, his nerves were already getting the best of him, and his erection had gone down. He was spending the night _with Roy_ , and he had no idea what would happen tomorrow when they both woke up. Despite Roy's reassurance, Ed couldn't stop himself from feeling paranoid about it. Al had spent so much time telling him he was taking it too slow, but now that he was here, he couldn't help but question whether or not he should have parted ways with Roy at the bar. 

If Roy regretted this tomorrow, he wasn't sure how he would cope with that. Ed ran his hands through his hair and pulled out the tie, pushing those thoughts aside, unwilling to over think things anymore tonight. Roy had asked, wanted him to stay. He didn't have it in him to change his mind. If this turned out to be a mistake, he'd deal with the consequences like a grown man. His train of thought was interrupted by footsteps. 

Roy came back into the bedroom wearing only the loose-fitting sleep pants. “Do you need anything to sleep in?” 

“Nah, I can just strip down to my boxers.” Ed kept his eyes on Roy, who only crept closer to him. Roy reminded him of a Panther, eyes alert and assessing. It made a part of him prickle with interest at the an unspoken challenge: Should he let himself be hunted like prey or play the part of the hunter? 

“Here we are.” Roy’s smile faltered. He sat down on the bed, concerned by how skittish Ed seemed. “You okay?” 

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Ed had no idea what Roy thought they were going to do, but he needed to relax and calm down. His nerves felt so pent up that it made his stomach churn. Roy simply sat there and watched him before pulling him close and pulling off his undershirt. 

They both took a moment to assess each other. Neither of them had what most would consider perfect bodies. Years of fighting had left a litter of scars on them both. Ed reached out, finger tips moving down the scar Lust had left so many years ago. Al had told him about this one. Ed had never seen it, though. 

He had a scar in a similar place, though he wasn't sure he had ever gotten around to telling Roy about it. And from the way those dark eyes settled on the rough patch of flesh, it hadn't gone unnoticed. Tonight wasn’t the right time to bring that one up from the dredges of his memory. 

Roy's hands moved along the scar tissue, then downwards, stopping to rest on Ed's hips as his thumb brushed across whatever smooth skin that wasn’t covered by cloth. He felt goosebumps form and heard a sharp intake of breath from above. Good. That was the reaction he wanted. Roy’s lips curved upwards while his fingers slid further south, undoing the button of Ed's pants. 

Ed’s right hand covered Roy’s as his pants were pushed down over his hips until they rested on his upper thighs. “I got it.” He didn’t want Roy moving one inch. From here, Ed had the perfect view of those dark, smoldering eyes that had managed to captivate him body and soul. He leaned back to give himself enough room and hooked his fingers on the hem of his undershorts. Ed finished sliding both his pants and boxers down to his knees, scrunching up his legs so he could pull them the rest of the way off and toss them onto the floor. 

 

He swung his body around and positioned himself on the bed so that his knees were on either side of Roy's legs. Ed's breath slowed down and deepened as his hands moved along Roy's sleep pants. They were soft and comfortable, expensive looking, striking really, for a pair of lounge wear… and Ed thought they would look even better on the floor. 

“Sorry, but,” Ed sat up and scooted backwards enough to pull the lounge pants down and then off. “These gotta go,” he added with a grin and threw them over his shoulder. He brushed their lips together while gently pushing Roy down onto the bed. His mouth moved from Roy's jaw down to his neck. Ed's hands settled on his hips before sliding down further until he was able to spread Roy's thighs apart. His brows furrowed when he realized that he hadn't brought anything with him tonight. 

“Do you have anything to use?” Ed was sure, if he looked hard enough around Roy's house he could find something to use, but he also didn't want the night to end awkwardly with a search and find. 

“No. Why would I?” Roy asked incredulously, quirking his eyebrows. “What do you need to use?” 

“Fuck.” Ed rested his head on Roy's waist. If he couldn't find anything suitable, he'd have to be satisfied with something else. Not that he necessarily thought he should push it too much, but he had hoped that maybe he could test Roy's willingness for that. “Okay, it's fine... just... touch me.” 

“Are you sure?” Roy spread his legs to make room for Ed. “I probably have some lotion in the bathroom.” 

“Positive. Trust me, you don't wanna use the lotion.” Ed settled himself on top of Roy's lap. “It doesn't have the right consistency and forget about the—” Then Roy put his hand on Ed's erection. “Shit.” 

“How eloquently put.” Roy grinned at him. “Your vocabulary has always been... interesting. But I'd like to know what exactly you were planning on doing with me if you're so concerned about what to use?” 

“I doubt you're one to talk. If you weren't in the military, I think you'd say the same things.” Ed slowly pushed his hips forward. "Probably do when you think no one else is paying attention." He grinned. “I had planned on doing something I think you'd like.” 

“Something I'd...” Roy's eyes widened a little when it dawned on him. “Oh...” he quietly added. 

“I'm guessing you had something else in mind?” Ed swallowed loudly, slightly embarrassed for assuming the wrong thing. “I guess the lotion would have worked then.” He lowered his voice, his cock fully hard now, “Would you be opposed to that, though?” His hand slid down between Roy's thighs. He waited for some indication that he was pushing too far. When Roy gave him none, he moved them lower and softly rubbed them across Roy's perineum. 

Roy's breath hitched. Ed watched as he closed his eyes and let out the most beautiful sound he had heard. He did it again, putting a little more pressure. 

“I'd like to try it sometime.” His mouth touched the shell of Roy's ear. “I want to make you feel good, and there's so much I could do, places I could touch...” Ed sucked on the lobe of Roy's ear and moved his finger lower. 

Pulling Ed closer, Roy held his hand in place. His other hand moved up across Ed's back. “Is that what you want, Edward? You want to be inside me.” 

“Fuck... yes.” Ed wet his lips and pulled his head back a little. He wanted that more than anything. To make Roy his in a way no one else had. “Is that what you want?” He held his breath as he waited for an answer. 

“I think that's something we can explore another time when we're both more prepared. But tonight it's… too soon.” Roy brushed Ed's hair from out of his eyes. He needed time to let that thought settle and what it would mean. “Let me take care of this for you.” He cupped Ed's balls and slid his fingers up over until he had a firm grip on Ed's cock. “Stand up.” 

“You sure?” Ed eased himself up from the bed. “You can use your hands if you want.” 

“Why do you keep asking that?” Roy reluctantly let go of Ed. “If I really didn't want to do this we wouldn't be in my bedroom right now.” 

“Roy, have you even ever...” Ed closed his eyes and smiled when Roy gave him a surly look. He was pretty sure he already knew the answer to that and the first time always took some getting used to. He stepped back, unwilling to make Roy uncomfortable. “Never mind.” 

“I think I know where you were going with that but”—Roy laughed and then winked, tugging Ed closer—“I'm sure I can grasp the basics.” 

Roy scooted closer to the edge of the bed. The position they were in was a bit odd, but he could work with it. He took the base of Ed's cock in his hand and stared at it for a moment. His hand moved up and down, slowly, taking in the hard contrast of Ed's erection to the soft skin over it. He had had this done for him enough times to know what to do. 

At first Roy almost pulled away when he took Ed into his mouth. The sensation felt strange to him, but he quelled that urge and took it slow. His tongue tentatively moved across the head, and he could taste the saltiness that had collected around the tip. Ed was so hard already, yet standing still, watching him. Roy realized that he was being given control of how fast or slow he went. 

“Mmm, yes—” his teeth scraped across his bottom lip—“Please, don’t stop.” Ed threaded his fingers through Roy's hair and held him close. He didn't tug or pull on it out of concern that he might choke Roy. Ed ached for the closeness, though; too much to let go and give up complete control. 

He had been right. This was new for Roy, but for someone who didn't have any experience doing this, he was a fast learner. Roy made it hot and wet for Ed in all the right ways and didn't stay at one speed for too long. Instead, he would randomly change it, making sure to use his tongue and hands to reach every inch of Ed's cock. 

With Roy's hot mouth wrapped around him, Ed quickly lost any control he had. “Fuck, you feel so good.” Ed groaned loudly and closed his eyes. His hair tumbled down and brushed over his shoulders, and his legs shook. He needed to catch his breath but found himself unable. His back bowed, forcing the top half of his body down until his head almost touched the top of Roy's. 

Ed felt that warm mouth slide further down, and he tried to pull back only to have Roy's hands reach out and hold him still. He couldn't break free without jarring them both. “Roy, hold on... I'm close.” 

Roy only tightened his grip on Ed's hips and held him in place. He watched Ed come undone before him, hair messy, shaking as he came hard into Roy's mouth. 

Roy almost pulled away when the first splash of salty cum spilled into his mouth. He should have been prepared but wasn't. Once he felt he could safely pull back without getting any on his face, he turned his head and coughed. 

“Sorry,” Ed knelt down and tried to help but didn't know what to do. “Do you need something to drink?” 

Roy shook his head, recovering quickly, and wiped his mouth with his finger. “It's fine.” And terribly bitter, but he left that part out. Ed hadn't complained at all earlier, and Roy would be damned if he broke that rule everyone secretly wanted their lovers to follow. “I'm okay.” He smiled at Ed to reassure him. 

Ed touched Roy's cheek, leaning in to kiss him. A shiver of pleasure coursed through him when he tasted himself on Roy. He wanted to revisit that feeling later, but it was getting late. Pulling back, Ed let his hand fall to his knees. “Hey, do you mind if I clean up? It won't take me long.” 

“Sure, it's almost directly across from here. Are you sure you don't need any clothes to sleep in?” Roy reached down and grabbed his sleep pants from the floor. “I'm sure something of mine would fit you just fine.” 

“I'm good. I'll wear my boxers to bed.” Ed picked them up and headed to the bathroom. 

He turned on the light and finished up as quickly as he could. Ed only needed to wipe himself off. In the morning, he would ask Roy if there was an extra toothbrush he could use and maybe take up the offer for a set clothes. It was too late to worry about a shower. If he went to bed with his hair wet this time of year, he'd risk getting sick. 

He pulled his boxers on and when he got back to the bedroom, Roy was sitting up, reading. “Anything interesting?” Ed asked, standing in the doorway. 

“It's nothing to worry about. I'm used to working late, that's all.” Roy put the papers back into a folder and set it down on the dresser. He looked up at Ed. “Something wrong?” 

“No, sorry, just thinking.” Ed shook his head. “Can I turn this out?” He gestured to the lamp. “Or did you want to read some more?” 

“I only wanted to look over a couple things until you came back.” Roy pulled the covers the rest of the way down for Ed. 

Ed turned out the light, making sure to take it slow across the room until he felt the edge of the mattress. He felt around Roy's legs before crawling into bed. After a few minutes of listening to Roy breathe, he moved around and tried to find a comfortable spot. “It's kind of... different, sharing a bed with someone else like this.” 

“It's not something I'm used to either,” Roy quietly replied. “At least not in my own bed.” 

He turned over onto his side and reached out to put his hand on Roy's chest. “It's different but nice, warm.” 

“Ed... your hands feel cold.” Roy pulled him closer until Ed's head was tucked in underneath his chin. Ed had been so warm before he went to clean up. “Do you always get cold so easily?” 

“Yes. No.” Ed yawned and threw his arm across Roy's back. He felt so tired already now that he could feel Roy's warmth against him. “Depends on how much moisture is in the air.” He had meant to explain it better but instead his eyes grew heavy and he only managed to mumble, “doesn't matter. It's warm here, with you.” 

Roy only held him closer until Ed could hear his breathing even out. The last thing he remembered was putting his hand on Roy's chest; feeling the heartbeat against his hand lulled him to sleep. 

~*~ 

Ed's eyes slowly opened. He groggily turned his head to his right, and it took him some time to adjust to dark room where only one sunbeam had managed to fight its way through the closed curtains. It took him another few seconds to take in the fact that he had never went back to the hotel last night. 

He had stayed at Roy's. In Roy's bed. They had had sex, and the last thing he wanted to do was move. 

Ed flung his arm down against the bed, sat up, and rubbed his eyes. He turned his head—his vision finally finding its focus—when he felt the bed shift to find Roy sitting up against the headboard, reading through a packet. The same one from last night. Hey.” 

“Good morning.” Roy stopped reading to give him a smile and then turned back to it. “Sleep well?” 

“Yeah, don't remember waking up at all in the middle of the night. Your bed is really comfortable.” What the hell was it made of? He made a mental note to ask later, but first he wanted to know what was in that packet to have Roy’s attention. Ed pushed his hair out of his eyes and try to see if he could catch a glimpse. “What're you reading? Work stuff?” 

Roy frowned and set the packet down into his lap. He kept his eyes straight ahead of him. “This has to do with the information you retrieved from Creta.” 

“Oh, cool.” Ed reached over to get a look only to have Roy pull it away. He frowned and let his hand drop onto the bed. “Hey, what's the problem?” 

Roy let out a heavy sigh. This wasn’t going to go over well, but he also knew there was no easy way to put it. “Ed, I don't think this situation is going to work out.” 

Ed felt the pit of his stomach sink and bottom out. Roy might as well have punched him in the heart. His mouth suddenly felt dry but he managed to swallow anyway. “What do you mean?” He narrowed his eyes. “You said last night that—” 

“I don't mean this, Ed.” Roy swept his arm out across the bed. “I mean _this_.” He held up the packet with his other hand and shook it. “It's a conflict of interest and to be quite blunt, I don't trust myself to be fair to you about it. I don't want to have to constantly watch you or worry about whether or not you're coming back each time you go out on some errand for me.” 

“This isn't spur of the moment is it?” Ed frowned and sat all the way up, tucking his legs in and pulling the blanket up over them. Roy was acting too calm and detached about this. It sounded rehearsed, like Roy had thought over what to say to him before. “You knew you felt this way before didn’t you.” Ed's hand balled up into fists. "Why didn't tell me this last night?” 

“Last night wasn't a good time to talk about it,” Roy quietly said. 

“Because of what we did?” Ed could feel that needling sensation prickling in the back of his mind as he tried to make sense of all of it. “Is that why? Or was it because you thought we wouldn't fuck if I knew?” 

“No, Ed. Why are you so paranoid that you're the problem?” Roy set the packet down next to him. “My day at work had been a particularly terrible one. The last thing I wanted to do was fight or argue with someone else. We had met to talk about something other than what you brought back from Creta with you. There was no reason to bring it up.” 

“I worked my ass off to get that for you.” Roy opened his mouth but Ed cut him off. “No, you’re going to let me finish. I don’t want some pre-made excuse that you concocted in your head.” He knew he needed to calm down, but Ed couldn’t stop the words from spilling out. “I had to put up with some sick fucking creep trying to get into my pants and now it’s done?” 

“Ed, I—” Roy began. 

“Fucking don’t.” He put his head in his hands and counted to ten. When that wasn’t enough, he moved onto twenty until he knew he could speak without yelling. They would only go in circles with this anyway. Ed needed to attempt a different tactic. “That packet next to you, that's not only the information I gave you, but you worked it out already didn't you?” 

Ed already knew he probably wouldn't get any details about it, but he’d work around that on his own. He wasn't a part of the military team that Roy had carefully constructed over the years. Not anymore. He could easily be pushed out if that's what Roy wanted to do, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. At least not directly. 

“Yes, we have.” Roy put his hand back over it. “But as I said, it wasn't something I intended to give to you.” 

“So you're what?” Ed was pretty sure he already knew, and thinking back, Roy had avoided any talk about Creta last night. He had brought it up more than once only to have it brushed aside. He should’ve seen this coming. “You're gonna cut me out now because of what happened last night? Because we're starting a relationship?” 

“It's not because of last night,” Roy explained. “It was the decision I had to make before then.” 

“Without asking how I felt about it first?” Ed asked warily. He didn't like anyone taking liberties with any decision that involved him without having a say in it. 

“I planned on talking to you about. Again, last night didn't seem like the right time when we had more important things to discuss.” Roy could feel the tension in the room rise. “I don't want to fight about this, Ed. I chose a relationship with you over this. That’s all. Let it go, please.” 

Damn Roy and his way with words. Most of Ed’s anger dissipated with that explanation. He felt torn. A part of him really wanted to say that what they were doing wasn't as important because Roy's life was more important but that would cheapen everything that had happened last night. Still, he couldn't let it go. “You can't compare the two. It's... not the same in any way.” 

“They'll overlap. Eventually, _it will_ become an issue.” Roy knew at some point he'd have to make a decision he didn't want to regarding Ed's safety. It was better to cut it off now before it became a problem. “I don't think it's wise for us to do both.” 

“You don't think. That's it, right. You.” A part of him _did_ understand where Roy was coming from, but still, disappointment bubbled up inside of him. It annoyed him that he was only now finding out about this. How could Roy so easily lie to him about this last night? “And what if I don't agree?” 

“Then we're going to have a problem,” Roy simply said, trying to keep his voice calm and rational. “This isn't a negotiation, Ed.” 

“That's not fair.” Ed leaned forward until they were only a few inches apart. “If I'm willing to—” 

“This has nothing to do with you,” Roy harshly countered. “You keep saying that, but the problem is mine.” 

“It has everything to with _us_. It affects me, and you know it.” Ed crawled closer. “You're taking an easy out because you don't want to make a hard decision. And you're tossing how I feel aside so you won't have to deal with something you consider unpleasant.” 

“That's enough!” Roy snapped. He pushed himself back against the head board, putting more space between them. “Don't ask this of me, Edward. You have no idea what it's like to send people off to their death.” 

Ed narrowed his eyes, still poised for a comeback. But he stopped himself. Roy was right. He had never been in that position. Still, it didn't feel right for him to walk away now. Maybe if he tried a different tactic he could convince Roy to let him help. 

“What about after this? Can't we agree to finish this one up together? Ed lowered his voice and tried to stay calm. His hands balled up into fists again, and he shoved them against the bed. “Already knee deep in this and it'll only worry me if you're out there without me by your side.” 

Roy glared at Ed before letting out a frustrated sigh. “It would help if you dropped this and left it alone. We can handle it from here. While I appreciate what you're trying to—” 

“If you leave that there,” Ed stuck his finger out and nodded to the packet, “And leave the room, I'm gonna read it.” Roy shot him a dirty look. Ed refused to back down. “Hey, least I'm being honest about it and giving you a heads up instead of waiting until you go to work or waiting until the next to drop the bomb on you because that would be an incredibly shitty thing to do.” 

“Don’t go there with me, Ed,” Roy warned. 

“Or what? What exactly are you going to do, Roy? Break up with me?” He stopped, took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. “You're telling me I'm done helping you and not even giving me a chance to decide. This is bullshit and you know it. Doesn't matter your reason. I am not a child that needs looked after.” 

“I'm aware you can take care of yourself, but this is no longer your _bullshit_ to worry about.” Roy picked up the packet and got up, taking it with him. “I need to shower before work, and it's getting late. I had wanted to wait until you woke up before taking off.” He stopped in the doorway and turned to Ed. “There's food you can help yourself to, and if you'd like to stick around, I don't mind, although I don't know when I'll be home.” 

Ed watched him go. He hadn't been invited to take a shower with Roy and most likely, that would be the packet was stashed. Somewhere in the bathroom. Ed hoped the door was left unlocked if it even had one. He had to know what was in it and if there were notes for a plan of action. 

Roy could try to push him away, but Ed wouldn't go easily. He would wait until he heard the shower start, and then he'd sneak a look. He had worked damn hard for that information, and he had every right to see it. 

Ed sat on the bed, cross-legged, still a little tangled in the blanket, and seethed. How could Roy expect him to sit by and do nothing? His head hurt and his heart ached. He cradled his face in his hands and leaned forward. “Fuck.” 

The timing of this entire thing was terrible. Ed couldn't believe they had just fought after what happened last night. It would have been better if he had known before they had sex. Now it was too late to think it over or wait until he knew Roy was safe before starting this. They couldn't go back to the way it was before. 

He tossed the blanket aside and slipped off the bed. Ed needed answers, but first he needed to get that packet away from Roy, and then he'd decide what to do from there. 

~*~ 

Roy set the packet down on the bathroom sink and pulled off his pants. He knew Ed wasn't going to let it drop, and they would probably fight about it again before he even left the house. He didn't need to be at work for another hour so there was plenty of time for Ed to squeeze another round out of him. Unless he left early, it was inevitable. 

He pulled back the shower curtain and turned on the water, mulling over what Ed had said to him. Roy knew he wasn't being fair, but the thought of having Ed out there and the possibility of him getting killed... No matter how many times Roy turned the idea over in his head, he couldn't bring himself to consent to that, but he also knew that Ed would never agree to stop without a fight. 

Stepping into the shower, he pulled the curtain back and began washing himself. Halfway through scrubbing himself down, he heard footsteps drawing closer, but they stopped short of the door. Roy waited for a moment before washing his hair. As he was rinsing, Roy heard the bathroom door open quietly. By the time he pulled the curtain back to look, the packet was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the wait. I don't like listing excuses for people, and I'm a fairly private person so I will try to do better to stay on task for this. Please know, I'm not intentionally pushing this story aside. 
> 
> The draft for 13 is done, but I have been unwell for some time so I plan to rest most of the day tomorrow (like I should be doing instead of editing fan fic >.>) and will do a final proof on that Thursday (and also reply to some comments).
> 
> Also, I changed the rating from M to E because it seemed more appropriate since I plan to have another chapter, probably the epilogue that will have more sex in it.


	13. Chapter 13

“You need more people, Roy. This isn't something you should rush.” Ed turned another page and reread it over. He had gotten dressed and calmed down while Roy showered. He even managed to write in his journal a little and was now sitting comfortably on the floor in Roy's living room. It took a bit, but he was just getting into all the information and thoroughly sifting through it to work out the important parts. “I get what Breda is saying, but even with seven of us, it's too little.” 

Roy stopped short of walking all the way into his living room. After his shower, he had dressed for work, hoping that Ed would have time to do what he needed in order to cool down and give them both a chance to think things over. He needed to calm down as well. Roy hadn't trusted himself to catch Ed reading through the information that had been taken from the bathroom so he purposely extended it. He didn't want another fight. Their newly developed relationship was still too fragile to handle it. 

Ed sat in the middle of the floor, sifting through the files. An incredibly ballsy move considering how this morning had shaped up. Taking a deep breath, Roy counted to ten before allowing himself to look over all the papers and files sitting next to Ed. 

He noticed another smaller book sitting next to Ed. It was the journal from the first time Ed had came over. Roy recognized it right away because he had been curious about it then and the way Ed behaved when it had fallen onto the floor. Another (and slightly odd thing) he picked up on was that the part in the packet that Ed was reading was near the beginning. Roy couldn't help but wonder how far Ed had gotten since he wasn't a slow reader. Had he backtracked already or had something else distracted him? The journal was the most likely answer. Ed had written in it. 

That didn't explain why, if Ed had wanted that information so badly, would he wait to read it over? What could be so important that Ed had to write it down? Roy might have to pull a recon of his own to get an answer to that, though, now that he remembered more of that night, most if not all of it would be in Xingese. He wouldn't know what secrets the journal held anyway, and the idea of betraying Ed's trust dug its way into his thoughts and guilt immediately washed over him. 

Would he always be like this? Roy had been playing the game for so long that secretiveness and covert snooping was unfortunately his go to. Ed had every reason to be suspicious of his words. Roy knew Ed deserved better than to have his personal belongings gone through so casually. He rubbed his temple and tried very hard to push those thoughts to the side. 

“I don't have a choice, Ed. We're running out of time and need to move quickly,” he finally answered, turning his gaze back to Ed. “I won't be able to pull anyone else from another department. Not at this point. I would need another few weeks to properly gather a larger group of people.” 

“What about outside of the military?” Ed stopped reading and looked up. “You gotta know people who would be willing to help. If I didn't think you'd be gone by the time I got back, I'd offer to go to Xing for a week or at least half a week.” He set the information down into his lap. “I'd be able to bring a small group of people back at the very least. 

“But we both know by the time we got back here, you'll have taken your tiny group of people over there and then who knows...” Ed shrugged while glaring at Roy. “Maybe you'll still be alive. Maybe not.” His fingers gripped the packet so tightly that it started to crinkle up under the pressure. “Then I can go visit your grave and think, at least he knew how I felt before he died.” 

Roy narrowed his eyes and returned the glare. So much for smoothing things over. “Ed, I know you're upset about this but—” 

“No, you don't know.” Ed picked the packet back up and started reading again. “Or you probably do and that's the problem. You know but it's still not enough for you to let me help. But if you don't want me coming, you're gonna have to knock me out and stuff me somewhere first... and hope I don't wake up before you're done because that's the only way I'll stay put. You’re not my boss so I’m going to do what I want anyway.” Not that it would’ve stopped him. 

“Alright. Come along then.” Roy pulled his coat on. He was done arguing. Maybe if he conceded a little now, he could talk Ed into agreeing to his terms later, or they could work something else out that didn’t involve a bitter fight. Ed obviously wasn't going to back down, and one of them needed to suggest a better solution at least for the time being. “If you want to go to Xing, that's fine, but if you're not back by mid week, then it's off. If you manage to pull together something workable in that short of a time, you'll have earned the right to be there.” 

Ed kept reading. He knew where Roy was going with this. He also knew how good of a liar Roy could be when it suited his needs. “Not goin' to Xing. Even if you mean that, we both know you'll change your mind once I'm out of sight. You'll have all that time, alone, to stew over it, and then you'll justify it somehow and make it seem like it was the only reasonable option.” 

“We're at an impasse then.” Roy pulled out a pair of his regular gloves and put them on. “Although, I do think we'll be fine. There may not be many of us, but they're the best team anyone could hope to have, and we've certainly been through worse. You're not giving them enough credit, Edward.” 

“I know that. I know you're all badass in your own right, but still,” Ed stopped reading for a second to look up at Roy before turning his attention back to the packet. “The problem is the amount of ground that needs covered. And you could end up outnumbered. Do I think it's impossible to pull off? No. But don't feel it's worth the risk either. Give yourself more time, Roy, please. If you're watching what's going on around you, and you keep yourself covered, you won't be giving them a chance to make their move. They'll have to fall back.” 

“This won't do us any good if we're both worrying, and we're getting nowhere with this.” Roy checked the time. “I really should go.” 

“Yeah, but now you're just tryin' to change...” Ed stopped mid-reading and turned the page back. He looked back and forth between the two. “Hold on a second…” Something was off, but he couldn't figure out what, and he couldn't believe he hadn't caught it the first time through. The general area was familiar enough, but he had never been to the exact points on the map. He wasn’t even sure they existed... at least not in the way they were situated. 

“Hold on, what?” Roy walked over to him, stood in the middle of the room, and waited. “Ed?” 

Ed glanced up and then went back to looking over the map. “Huh? Oh, yeah, there’s something weird about this part.” 

Roy knelt down in front of Ed. “Which part? Both Breda and I combed through it several times and nothing seems out of place.” 

“Dunno yet, but I’ve been all around Creta and this map isn’t right.” Ed frowned and then sighed. “It's... one of those things, you know. When something bugs you but you can't quite remember why. The area looks weird as fuck. Gimme a second to work it out.” He turned to Roy. “You're sure that this is where they plan to make their move? I wanna check this map with another one of Creta.” 

“From the information you've gathered, yes.” Roy tried to look over the top of the pages, but Ed quickly pulled away and tucked them against his side. “Was something accidentally forgotten? Or lost?” 

“No, it's not that. It's more of a memory or something along those lines.” Ed closed it up and stuffed it between his legs. If he set it down, Roy would probably take it from him, and he wasn't done with it yet. “I wouldn't mind taking a look at that part of the map... up close.” 

“You mean go there.” Roy stood back up and shook his head. “We don't even know what's out there, Ed, and as I've pointed out a few times, we don't have the time to mess around.” 

“It's not messing around, and it would help if someone could do a small recon before you go out there. Look, I know it's dangerous, but if it'll give you a better idea of what's going on then why not?” Ed gathered the information and his journal, stood up, and tucked everything into his coat. “This mission has to be precise and accurate. You can't afford to do it with bare minimum effort, Roy. I can't leave now. There's too much that could go wrong. I need to be there if it does.” 

“I already said that wouldn't work out. I don't want you out there, especially alone.” Roy couldn't stop himself from sighing. Why were they back to this? He had thought they both agreed to not argue about this now. “How about I give you a week. And I _will_ still be here. You can even talk to Hawkeye if you don't trust me and think I'll change my mind. If you get her word on it, she'll make sure we stay put. I'm giving you my word, if you want to go to Xing and round up help, I'll accept it, but you got to let the recon idea go, alright?” 

“Can I walk you to work?” Ed asked, abruptly changing the subject. If Roy was going to avoid this, then he'd play along for now, and at least enjoy a walk with him before they ended up arguing again. Once he had Roy safely at work, he'd think their conversation through and make his own decision on this. 

“Pardon me?” Roy furrowed his brows, wary of Ed's sudden change of tone. He had done this to other people many times but it was rare when he found himself on the opposite end. 

“You're right, we can talk about this later, and since you're going to leave soon, I thought that maybe I could walk with you.” Ed also had to think over Roy's offer as well because despite his hesitance, it wasn't a bad deal. And even though he hated the idea of getting Hawkeye involved, he might be able to use her reassurance to get Roy to agree to more. “If that's no trouble,” he added with a casual shrug of his shoulders. 

“I don't see why not...” He eyed Ed suspiciously, still unsure of how he felt about the quick change of topic. “We can take a short-cut through a back alley nearby. If you'd like, you can come up to my office with me and say hello, talk to Colonel Hawkeye about what I suggested. I'm sure everyone would be happy to see you.” 

“Wouldn't mind seeing them either. But don't you have to have clearance to walk into Headquarters?” Ed knew that while occasional visits would probably be okay, he had to limit his time around Roy; that’s what they agreed on. He shouldn’t let himself get used to the idea of showing up at Roy’s office whenever he wanted. 

“I can't imagine anyone would complain about the former Fullmetal Alchemist stopping by. People still talk about you, Ed and probably will for years to come.” Roy could easily pass any visits Ed made to the office as him reconnecting with former comrades. And most people there still remembered and liked Ed well enough that he couldn't see how it'd be an issue as long as they didn't spend copious amounts of time alone. “I appreciate how careful you are with everything, but this time it's okay.” 

Ed took in what Roy said. He knew Roy had connections at work, but weren't they trying to lay low? He wasn't sure if he could fully cover his feelings for Roy for too long. Everyone at the office knew him well enough that they would be able to see it. “Alright. I'll come up with you. I should probably talk to Hawkeye anyway. And who knows… maybe I'll head to Xing if that works out. No promises, though.” He moved closer to Roy. “But if she agrees, please don't put her in a bad position, okay? You're still her superior officer.” 

“I know better than to put the Colonel in that kind of position,” Roy smiled, hoping to reassure Ed's worry. “To be blunt, she'd probably kick my ass otherwise.” 

“Sure, fine then.” Ed tried his hardest to keep his voice even and not come across as too suspicious and doubtful or caustic. Roy had said that eventually their relationship would cross lines with this, and he wanted to avoid that for as long as he could. Unfortunately, Ed felt like they were running out of time and had no choice but to push more than he wanted. After all this settled, where would they be at in regards to this? Would they, as Ed and Roy, be alright? Would he even still be apart of Roy's inner circle of informants? 

Silence enveloped them both as he followed Roy out the door and down the front steps. Maybe it was better that way... for now. 

Ed shoved his hands into his coat pockets. The late morning sun cut some of the chill in the air, but Ed still felt cold and the wind made him shiver. He needed something to break the odd silence that had overtaken them, both as a distraction and to hopefully curb the conversation into friendlier territory. Then he thought back to that odd comment made at the bar the other night. A good as place as any to start. 

“Hey, Roy... if I ask you something, you won't be weird about it, right?” Ed followed Roy back around the side of the house. 

“How can I say one way or the other if I don't know what the question is?” Roy stuck his hands in his coat pockets. “But tell me anyway. The worst I can say is that I'd rather not talk about it.” 

“After I came back, I stopped by the bar, the other night when I called you,” Ed began, “And Vanessa and Madeline had brought something up I was kind of curious about, still am curious about it.” 

“I'm sure they both could tell you a lot of stories about me... all of which are probably true.” Roy turned to look at Ed and smiled. “Did they say something that bothered you?” 

“No... they didn't really say much of anything other than when you came back from meeting me, you acted a lot like you had after you came back from Ishval,” Ed paused, unsure if he should even bring it up. But that was something that had settled in the back of his mind, and he didn't know when he'd get a chance to ask again. “Then they were all hush-hush about it and weird about saying any more so thought I'd ask you.” 

“Ah,” Roy quietly said. He stopped and pulled Ed to the side. “That was a long time ago, but if I were to hazard a guess they were probably referring to... someone of interest had been killed.” 

“Someone of...” Then it hit Ed what Roy meant. “Was this person a guy?” 

“He was. It didn't go very far. When you're fighting to keep your men alive and exterminating people, there's little time for anything else.” Roy's voice grew quiet, causing Ed to feel a little guilty for bringing it up. “Any particular reason why you're interested in knowing about this?” 

“I... I guess I was only curious. There're a lot of things I _don't_ know about you. You're pretty damn good at keeping your past a secret.” Ed started walking again. He left out the part where he wanted to make sure he wasn't Roy's first same-sex interest. He had to be sure mostly because first times could easily be passed off as mistakes or confusion. People had a way of brushing exceptions aside if it became convenient to do so. “And since last night got to thinking that maybe I should know.” 

“Does it bother you to know that?” Roy softly asked. 

“No. Actually, it's sort of a relief. To know that it's not a passing interest,” Ed explained or at least tried to but the words kept getting stuck and wouldn't come out the way he wanted. “It's just that, I don't know... it's hard to explain I guess. Not sayin' that you'd intentionally do that but...” 

“You thought this could have been a passing infatuation?” Roy suggested, surprised that Ed would even think that. “I assure you, it's not. Even if that had never happened, doing something like this carries too many risks for something like that, and it would take more than several drinks for me to respond to you like I did last night.” 

“No, it's just that,” Ed stopped and took a moment to think it over. “You’re right. Last night wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t like me.” He knew he was being paranoid, but while he had little to lose other than some people looking at him differently or avoiding him, Roy had more at stake. What he said made sense. Still, Ed had spent the past few years worrying about whether or not Roy would even consider this. But asking more questions now, out in the open, and bringing up Ishval felt wrong so he let his thoughts go into a different direction and decided to drop it. 

“When will we meet up again, after today?” Ed asked Roy. In retrospect, they probably should have taken Roy's car this morning. The bite of the wind did little for his mood. “Wasn't sure if we needed to lay low a little after last night.” 

“We should probably wait a few days.” Roy looked over at Ed from the corner of his eyes. Really, they should wait longer if he took Hawkeye's advice, but after their argument, he didn't feel it would be wise. “But you can come over to my place or we can meet up at Madame Christmas' after that.” 

“Okay. I'll go back to my hotel room tonight then.” Ed wanted to stay with Roy tonight, but at least some distance between them would give him time to think over all the information he had read. “I'm keeping the information, though. I don't want to come visit you and find you gone.” 

“That would be hard for even me to pull off in a day, Edward.” Roy smiled, attempting to lighten the mood. 

“I wouldn't put it past you to try. You're smart enough to manage it.” Ed smiled despite the fact that he was only half-joking. “I've seen you move fast before so it wouldn't be the first time.” 

“It's a bit different when the fate of the country is at stake,” Roy smoothly replied. “Even then, we had months to plan and move.” 

“Ah, that's true I guess.” Ed hadn't been around Roy much back then. Their paths had taken them in different directions and he had spent most of that time with Greed. But he knew that Roy was no slouch if given proper motivation. For as long as Ed had known him, he was abnormally protective of the people working under him—at least for a man of the military—and if he thought he could prevent Ed from getting involved in something dangerous, all bets would be off. 

“If you'd like, I can call you after work. You're staying at the same hotel, right?” Roy understood Ed's hesitance. It wasn't as if Ed was wrong. He had a habit of bending promises if it meant protecting those he cared about. “We can certainly keep up communications even if we don't meet up.” 

“Alright,” Ed smiled. He liked the idea of being able to see Roy a little more than he initially thought. He stopped walking for a moment and turned to Roy, “I think we can—” 

Roy sharply turned his head to warn Ed when he first heard _that_ sound. He could recognize it anywhere. It was rare when tranquilizer guns were used in Ishval, but Roy had the unpleasant experience of using one on several occasions. It was never as loud as any other gun, but the distinct thwack sound it made stayed with him. 

When Roy opened his mouth to say something, Ed was already flying backwards and against the brick wall. “Edward!” He stepped forward and stopped when he heard the sound of a gun cock and the press of it against his head. His fingers automatically moved to snap. How the hell did he manage to let his guard down like this? He should've heard something, anything that would've tipped him off that they were being followed. 

“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” a deep voice behind him said. “Right now I have a sniper on him, ready to shoot if needed. Before you could snap your fingers, I can give the word to have him killed, and even if you did manage to kill me, you'd be killing him as well.” The gun pressed harder against his head. “I suggest you calm down and come with us, quietly, if you're interested in keeping your friend alive.” 

“How do I know you won't kill him anyway?” Roy didn't take his eyes off Ed for a second. A Thin line of blood was smeared down the brick wall, but he also noticed a slight rise and fall in Ed's chest. At least he seemed to be breathing normally. “How do I know that once I go with you he won't die?” 

“You'll be far easier to control if I don't,” the man explained and there was a smug calmness in his voice that Roy didn't like. “I would prefer do this quietly than have the Flame Alchemist stirring up a commotion. If I kill him, you'll only retaliate. I'd rather have your full cooperation and save myself the trouble.” 

Roy's eyes moved upwards. Now, he spotted blood trickling down Ed's forehead and onto his cheek. How many more wounds did Ed have that he hadn't noticed yet? “He needs medical attention. He could die if I leave him here alone.” 

“That's no longer your concern. Don't make his death official, General. If you come quietly now at least you'll be giving him a chance.” The man tapped Roy on the shoulder. “Put your hands to your sides and keep them there. I have a car close by. Once we leave this alley, I'm going to lower my gun, and we're going to walk over to the car, like a normal, friendly stroll between two acquaintances. Remember, if you try to escape or if anything happens to me, you'll be killing him as well.” 

“Alright. I'll come with you.” Roy put his arms down to his sides as directed. “But you better hope for your sake you plan on keeping your word. If I find out he's dead, I will end you myself and make sure I do it in the slowest, most painful way possible.” 

“I'm not interested in him, General. You're the one I need. I give you my word nothing will happen to him if you cooperate.” The man nudged Roy towards the end of the alley. “Let's go. The sooner we get out of here, the better chance he has of survival. The longer you wait the less chance someone will find him in time.” 

Roy took one last look at Ed, making sure to show nothing more than mild concern before following his captor. He couldn't help but wonder if Ed was being used because they thought he and Roy were friends or if this man knew more. If that were the case, he probably would have taken Ed with them for additional leverage, although, if they had, Roy's chances of escape were greater. Together, they would be able to get out of it. 

He could hear someone else's footsteps behind him, indicating a third person with them, but Roy kept his eyes straight ahead. The man had pulled the gun away from his head and now placed it against the small of his back. If he did what was asked of him, and got into the car, hopefully they would forget about Ed. Right now he didn't have any other options. 

When they reached the end of the alley, Roy felt the gun be removed from his back. “Again, I remind you that if you try to run or do anything unacceptable, your friend will die here and now,” the man said, keeping his voice low. “My car is straight ahead of us. I want you to walk beside me and act like I'm someone you know.” 

Roy merely nodded his head. He slowed down until he was standing next to his captor. For the first time, he got a glimpse of what the man looked like. From what Roy could see, he was an average-looking Amestrian, brown hair, blue eyes, a few inches taller than himself. And definitely someone he had never met before, which only added to the mystery of why this man had taken him. He had expected some facial recognition at least. 

It would also make it harder for him to find out what was wanted from him, if he managed to come out of this alive. He had no idea what this stranger wanted with him and the very real possibility that he could be walking to his death was not lost on Roy. What would his death do to Ed? That was something he needed to carefully avoid thinking about lest he make any mistakes. Right now he had to focus on staying alive and figure a way out of this situation. 

He stopped walking when they reached the car and paused for a moment before opening the back door on the passenger's side and sliding in. The first thing he noticed was that the windows in the back of the car had been covered with a thin coating of paint, blacking out any light from the outside. 

Roy didn't say anything until the two men were in the car and the doors shut where no one would hear them. “What now?” 

“Now," the man replied, “I'm going to tie your hands together so you can't use that nasty little alchemy trick on us. I'm sure you have your other gloves tucked safely away.” He pulled Roy's hands forward, took off the civilian gloves, and began to wrap them together. “I want to ensure you won't try to use them later on.” 

“If it's not too much trouble, may I know what you want with me?” Roy asked as his hands were bound. He was grateful that they apparently had no idea he didn't need his gloves. They also didn't seem to be aware that the way his hands were bound wouldn't stop him from clapping. 

“I don't want anything with you, General Mustang, but other people seem to want you dead and sooner rather than later, and that's where I come in.” The man turned around in the front passenger seat and grinned at him. “It's nothing personal, but when I get paid, I always deliver.” 

“I see.” Roy glanced out the window, wondering if Ed had woken up yet. He supposed it was only a matter of time before something like this happened, and it explained why someone he had never met had come for him. They were hired hit-men. “They'll come looking for me when I don't show up at Headquarters. I'm sure you probably already know that.” 

“By the time they find you, it'll already be too late,” the man replied, shrugging what Roy said off. “I doubt they'll even know where to begin, especially since no one will remember you being taken against your will.” 

Roy didn't say anymore. Even if his team did manage to find a way, he wasn't so sure himself that they would make it in time. Ransom obviously wasn't on the table, or they would have asked for it already. He would have to take the chance and look for an opening and hope that Ed was no longer in danger. At least that might delay things a little. He would wait, though. Wait long enough until he felt Ed would wake up or be found. Hawkeye would also come looking for him once he didn't show up for work. No one was more thorough than her. 

If luck was on his side, she would hopefully stumble upon Ed if he was still down. From there it wouldn't take Hawkeye long to figure out he was missing, and at least Ed would be safe. That was his main concern. Still, the man was right. Unless he got lucky, they would take Roy with them and most likely he would be on his own. 

“I suppose asking who paid you to kill me is pointless.” Roy pulled on the binds to see how much movement he had. “I can't deny I wouldn't mind knowing who hates me that much to spend money on my death rather than do it themselves.” 

“You're right. I have no intentions of telling you anything about who's paying me. There's no point in revealing that,” the man replied. “This isn't going to be an interrogation where you manage to extract information from me. My employer is none of your concern now.” 

Roy disagreed with that notion but said nothing. Whoever wanted him dead needed ferreted out and fast. A person like that was no only a danger to him but his team as well... and now Ed had to be factored into this. He was a part of Roy's team now and at risk just as much as any of them. 

The best thing Roy could do right now was to play along and hope Hawkeye found Ed not too soon after he was taken. He had to believe in that outcome and not do anything risky. Time wasn't on his side, but Roy could be patient. After he fully assessed his situation, he'd make his move to escape. 

“Now I'm going to put something over your eyes,” the man told Roy as he pulled out a thick black cloth. “I don't think you'll manage to slip free, but if you do, I can't have you knowing where we're taking you.” 

He didn't put up any resistance when his head was moved forward and his eyes covered. Once it was done, Roy sighed and let himself fall back against the seat. The car started moving and even though he couldn't see, he still tilted his head towards the window. 

~*~ 

Roy startled when the car door opened and hands suddenly grabbed him around his arms and pulled him up. He tentatively stepped out of the car and waited for his captors to lead him to wherever they were going. The wind felt cool against his face and hands, although the sun helped cut some of the chill in the air and had melted what little snow they had gotten. He had almost expected them to shoot him now that they had arrived to wherever they had deemed appropriate to take him. 

Instead, his blindfold was removed, and the gun once again, pressed against his head. He was nudged forward so he followed the men towards a set of secluded warehouses. Behind the buildings were two towers that had smoke billowing from them. Another tower further back didn't seem like it was in use. He looked around, trying to see if he recognized where they were and came up empty. 

There were only a few places in the vicinity of Central City that housed smoke towers, but the car ride had taken a few hours judging from where the sun now sat in the sky. It was late afternoon already, but he hadn't been gone long enough for them to be in another country. 

Roy glanced at his surroundings once more. He'd have to keep his eyes on any possible clues or to see if there were any other people around. Most likely, this was either an abandoned place or one where these men had managed to take over. He couldn't count on getting outside help from anyone and had to accept that he'd have to depend on himself to escape. 

Once he figured out his location, he would need to find a way to get away from his captures, but he also needed to know where to go afterwards. It would do him no good to break free from these only to find out he had nowhere to go. And if he failed, he could only hope Ed would forgive him. They would kill him on the spot if he turned out to be too much trouble so he'd only have one, maybe two chances at this. Roy was surprised they hadn't gotten rid of him already. Considering they had kept him alive this long, he suspected they either had specific plans for how he should die, or whoever wanted him dead would be waiting for him. 

One of the men shoved him forward forcing Roy to start walking again in order to keep himself from stumbling. No one said anything about where they were headed or what exactly they planned to do next, and he was beginning to regret his decision to leave Ed behind even if he knew he hadn't been given a choice. He should have tried to convince them to bring Ed along. At least then he'd know instead of wonder. The not knowing had begun to work its way into his thoughts, and no matter how hard he tried to push it away, worry and regret began to settle deep into his mind. He had to get out of here. 

Roy, in theory could attempt an escape while they were still somewhat close the car. Right now, though all it would take was a matter of seconds for them to shoot him before he even had the chance to snap his fingers. Clapping would alert them and it would be over before it even started. He would lose his chance of getting out. Besides, they were too close. If he used his flame alchemy, Roy would get caught up in. Even with pinpoint aiming, he needed at the very least, a small amount of distance to work with. 

Resigning himself to the decision he already made, Roy sighed and walked faster so he didn't fall behind and end up with a bullet in his back. He would simply need to work with he had in front of him. Soon, that much he knew. If he was going to attempt an escape, it would have to soon. Or he at least needed to make sure he sent out a signal to his team. There had to be a telephone or radio in one of the warehouses. 

The closer they got to the buildings, Roy focused on taking in all he could, trying to piece together where they had brought him and whether or not he could use his surrounding to his advantage. If for some reason he couldn't get his location through by code, he at least wanted the option of leaving a message. Hopefully, Fuery would be able to trace it. 

One of the men shoved him forward again, and this time, Roy stumbled, barely managing to stop before a small drop. Down below the small buildings were lined up in rows. Descending with both his hands tied up was more difficult than Roy thought it would be. A few times he almost fell out of step, only to be manhandled back into place. 

When they reached the bottom, they passed two buildings, and Roy managed to catch glimpses through the windows as they walked by. One of them had an office inside of it. If any of the warehouses had what he needed, it would be in there. He looked up at the number: 15 R: 2. He recited the number a few times in his head so that he would know where to come back to. 

They turned the corner around the last building. There was a medium building behind the first set of rows. Roy followed his captures to it and allowed himself to be led inside. Two other men were already there, standing near the doorway waiting for them. They both had dark hair and light eyes, typical Amestrian traits. Given their appearance, he was most likely still in Amestris. 

They took Roy over to a beam in the left corner of the room and pushed him down to his knees. This area was the farthest away from the door as he could get. The man he spoke to in the car watch Roy the entire time while pointing the gun at his head. That guy wasn't going to let up. Maybe he'd get lucky and the other men would be sloppier about keeping an eye on him. 

Roy waited until they bound him against the beam to settle in and observe his surroundings. The two captors closest to him finally walked away to the other side of the room, leaving him to his thoughts. Now that he was bound, Roy intended to use that to his advantage. He'd play the role of helpless captive, keep his head down, stay quiet, and let them think they had him. 

The four of men soon split up—the men who drove him here left, leaving the remaining two. Roy watched the men talk and strained to listen in. Unfortunately, they were too far away, their voices just low enough that he could only hear the soft whispering, followed by laughing, but nothing coherent. He moved his hands again. He needed one clap and then his fingers would do the rest. If he had the room to himself, it would work better. By the time they caught him, his chances of not getting shot were slim. If he hurt one of them it went down to zero. He needed to make sure he took them both out at once. 

As soon as the men were done, one of them came over to Roy. "There's a smoke stack out there that blows every day at four. You'll be in there with it when it goes, which gives you a few hours to think that over.” The man grinned at him. “Guess that's why you're still alive. The boss has something special in mind for you. By the time the steam is finished, your skin'll be falling off your bones.” 

He narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Now he knew why he was still alive. A part of him itched to lash out, come back with some snarky retort about how he wasn't going to be the one burned. Instead, Roy merely turned his head away from the man, refusing to be baited. His arms were roughly shoved down and his captor finally walked away in an irritated huff. If they were planning on killing him, Roy saw no reason to talk to them unless he absolutely had to. 

He would wait, quietly. Roy counted the seconds in his head to keep track of how much time would pass. After a bit, they ignored him, chatting and laughing while keeping their conversation low enough so Roy couldn’t hear what they were saying. He kept track of the time that passed by counting the seconds in his head. When the two men seemed comfortable engrossed in their own conversation about twenty minutes later, he took his chance, bringing his hands together. 

Roy snapped his fingers and turned his face away from the heat of the flames. He had made sure to make it mostly smoke instead of fire so that the entire small area wouldn't catch. The room filled up that he could hardly see or breath. Roy tried to use his hands so he had a decent line of vision to get himself free. When that didn't work, he waited it out, keeping his eyes closed and his face low to the ground. There was a window about five feet away from him. Clapping his hands together, Roy touched the beam, causing a ripple to move down it and break the glass. 

The smoked finally subsided, leaving Roy a clear view. It had worked and both men were lying crumpled on the floor. The flames weren't near as strong as he could have made them, and for a split second Roy questioned his judgment for not ending them all right there. If he killed either of them and got caught again that added another complication, and they deserved a trial if possible. Still, leaving them alive came with its own risks and lead to his recapture. 

He brought his hands together again then stopped. That small voice in the back of his head came back (the one that suspiciously reminded him of Edward) telling him to stop. It was stupid. Ed would never begrudge him for self defense. Roy felt they deserved whatever he could manage given the situation. If they were dead, though, he would lose out on important information he might need. Roy narrowed his eyes and looked the fallen bodies over. These men needed interrogated, and unless he was left with no other options, he had to try and keep them alive. 

He snapped his fingers again, burning a small hole through the binds that kept him stationed to against the beam. The flames licked across his hands and fingers causing him to wince, but Roy bared down, grinding his teeth together to keep himself from crying out. The burns were minor in comparison to some he had inflicted on others. His hands and fingers would survive. They would heal. 

Control. Roy needed to maintain it, but he couldn't stop the burning feeling of anger work its way through. Even though he wouldn't do it, the need to burn it all to the ground intensified. He could make it out of there before he passed out along with the rest of them. Roy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 

Stooping down, Roy carefully picked up the pocket knife from the back of the guy's pants. They would only be out for about ten, maybe fifteen minutes. He had to get out of here before they woke up. There was also the possibility that more people were already here when he arrived other than the four of them. His new theories still needed more work, and Roy didn't want to risk messing it up. 

Both the men had minor burns along their faces and clothes and they were unconscious. Roy left them where they were, careful not to disturb them so they wouldn't wake up before he had the chance to leave. Roy knew he probably should bind them but time and resources were limited. He looked over them one last time to make sure he couldn't take and use anything else before standing back up and leaving. 

Once outside, he kept to the side of the building, making sure the area was clear before moving onto the next. Then he heard the sound of footfall and yelling. Roy pressed himself against the wooden wall and waited until the footsteps passed by. 

The smoke darkened the outside and gave him some cover. He had to move fast and make this count so as soon as he felt the men were checking out the fire, he ran. The communications building was stifling and small and he almost missed it. The smoke had barely cleared enough for him to see the numbers on the door. 

He looked around once more to make sure no one else was watching him and then slipped inside. Straight across the door was a desk with a phone sitting on top of it. Roy had no illusions that the phone worked. No, the line had probably been cut before they brought him here. What he needed to find was a radio. If he could manage that much before they found him again, he might stand a chance. 

From the desk, his eyes moved to the right and spotted another door. Perfect. Roy quickly hurried over, opened up the closet, and began looking through it. There were a lot of old supplies and an extra phone. He quickly pushed all of it aside. None of that would help him right now. He was running out of time. Time was passing too quickly for his tastes. Roy wiped his bangs away from his eyes and then tossed a few more useless items out of his way. 

In the back of it, Roy found what he needed. He pulled the old radio out, plugged it into the wall, and turned it on. It crackled a few times before the static died down. Roy thought back and remembered what Fuery had taught him. He send out the signal as quickly as he could, waiting for thirty seconds before disconnecting the radio and putting it back where he found it. 

Roy stood up and closed the closet door. He heard men approaching and looked around. It would seem suspicious if he was in here, doing nothing, and while he could try the window, it was unlikely he'd get away uninjured. Roy moved over to the desk and picked up the phone, pretending to try and make a call. The line was dead just as he thought, but standing there holding it, would take any attention away from what he had done. It was unlikely they would bother looking for the radio. 

When three men came busting through the door, Roy braced himself, unsure of what they would do. 

~*~ 

The constant sound of a machine beeping woke him up, first slowly prodding his thoughts and then building up to a loud clamber;. Ed felt was a wave of nausea and disorientation wash over him as he tried to open his eyes and look around so that he could get a sense of where he was and what had happened. 

He had been walking Roy to work and had planned on visiting everyone at the office. Ed rubbed his temple as he tried to remember more. Something had happened after that… he recalled hearing a weird popping sound, felt pain in his chest and the back of his head. Roy had called out to him and then nothing. That's where his memories stopped. 

He sighed, trying to will away that nagging sense of dread in the pit of his stomach, and finally managed to pry his eyes open all the way. The white ceiling above him looked all too familiar. He was in a hospital. “Dammit,” he cursed softly. Ed had no idea how he got there, and it didn't really matter. He needed to get up and talk to Roy, make sure he was okay. It didn’t matter if he was injured. Regardless of what happened, he had to find out whether or not Roy was okay. 

When he went to sit up, pain exploded behind his eyes. Ed almost threw up in his lap so he wrapped his arms around his shaking body to hold himself as still as possible. Carefully, he eased back and laid his head down against the pillow. Something had happened but his memory was too fuzzy to make full sense of it; he wasn't even sure there was anything for him to remember. 

The only conclusion he could come to was that the odd sound he had heard before blacking out had most likely caused his condition, but Ed had never heard anything quite like it before and was unable to work out what exactly happened to him. He thought back, trying once again to figure out what Roy had said to him... but that's where it ended for Ed. Nothing else came after. His thoughts stopped short, unable to fill in the rest. It didn't help that it felt like someone had taken the flat side a plank and hit him across the back of his head with it. 

Ed moved his hand across the top of his head, down the side, and around to the back, where he felt gauze. It hurt like hell. Considering it was bandaged up, he must have hit it hard. That could have been what had knocked him out initially. 

And where the hell was Roy? Did he have to go to work? He knew he couldn't very well expect Roy to stay with him. At least not for long. Still, Ed couldn't deny the small amount of disappointment that the room was empty. No one was here, waiting for him to wake up. 

There were questions he needed answered, the most burning in his mind was what had Roy said to him before he blacked out. The longer he laid in bed the more anxious he became. That sickening feeling was back. Ed had a feeling Roy wasn't here because something bad had happened. 

Rubbing his right hand down across his forehead, Ed wiped away the moisture that had accumulated. He needed to get out of here. The sooner the better. Ed braced himself the best he could and moved closer to the edge of the bed. The fog needed to clear away from his thoughts, but the tenderness coming from the back of his head made him doubt it would happen any time soon. 

He moved again, this time he put more force and concentration behind it and managed to almost push himself all the way to the edge of the bed. There was a glass of water sitting on the stand next to it. Seeing it made Ed realize how thirsty he was. All the more reason to try and get up, but before he could try again, the door opened. Ed saw the white coat and clipboard and knew who it was. 

The doctor came into the room and shut the door behind him before turning his attention to Ed. “How are you feeling, Mr. Elric?” 

“Sick to my stomach.” He turned his head to get a better look at the doctor. He was a tall blond-haired man with blue eyes. Ed had never seen him before. Then again, he avoided doctors and hospitals whenever he could. Clearing his throat in an attempt to take away some of the dryness, Ed opened his mouth and spoke, “Why am I in here?” 

The doctor frowned at him. “You were brought in this morning by a Colonel Hawkeye, I believe was her name. She didn't say much, and I don't ask too many questions when the military is involved. My job was to take care of you and make sure you recover, which if you rest up, shouldn't be too difficult to manage.” 

“Shit,” Ed cursed softly. “Did she come in with a man... General Mustang?” 

“She came in alone. But there was a tall, blond-haired man waiting outside for her,” the doctor answered. 

Havoc. She came here with him and not Roy. That didn't make sense. A sickening feeling that something awful had happened washed over him. “I have to go.” Ed went to sit back up again. “I can't stay here.” 

“I don't think so.” The doctor lifted up his clipboard. “You have a concussion. I need you to stay at least for the night so we can observe you. The Colonel's orders were clear. We can't allow you to leave until we're sure you'll be okay. You hit the back of your head hard, and you were also shot with a tranquilizer gun. Even though you're awake, we still need to get some test results back from that to make sure there wasn't anything in the dart that could be harmful.” 

Tranquilizer gun? That probably explained the strange sound he heard before hitting his head. Ed took in all the information the doctor gave him and thought it over carefully. At least he now had an idea of why his memory was so fuzzy. But why was he only knocked out instead of shot with a real bullet? It also didn't explain what happened to Roy. He had been hit first so who knew what took place after he had been knocked out. This only infused him with more urgency to leave the hospital. He could always follow up with doctor Knox later. 

“I can't stay that long. I need to be somewhere else,” Ed said again, only slower this time because for whatever reason, this doctor seemed to be under the impression that he could be kept here against his will. “I don't think you can make me stay here if I wanna leave.” 

“I can if you're unable to leave on your own. You have a concussion and we need to monitor you longer before releasing you,” the doctor simply told him. “Although, there were a few people in and out that have asked about you. Some military friends of yours I'm guessing. If you like, I can let them know you've woken up.” 

“What... what did they look like?" Why was the doctor giving him all the information expect what he wanted? "The people who came by?” Ed then cleared his throat again and glanced at the glass of water once more. This was dumb. Obviously he wasn't being clear enough for this guy. Most if not everyone in the city would have recognized Roy. “Was one of them General Mustang?” 

The doctor only gave him a surprised look. Probably because Ed had asked him that again. “No, he didn't come in, but now that you mention it, I think I've seen those people with him before.” 

Ed sighed. Not exactly the answer he wanted, but he could work with it. Either Roy had sent his team here or he wasn't around at all. It was odd that Hawkeye would come by on her own. She almost never left Roy's side during work hours. It didn't add up. Roy would've come down on his own and brought her with him in a situation like this or... 

The 'or' stuck to his thoughts. Ed watched the doctor finish the check up. “So, are any of them around now? I'd like to say hello if they are.” He glanced up, looking the doctor in the eyes. "You can tell them I'm awake." The only way he'd find out if something had happened to Roy would be to ask the people he could trust the most. “But... hey... do me a favor and don't tell them I have a concussion. Don't want them to worry.” 

“There are a few of them still around.” The doctor finished checking his vitals and stood up away from the bed. 

Clear rules against doctors giving out patient information to any other than family had been laid out years ago. Unless Al was around, they couldn't say anything without his permission. “Tell 'em to give me about ten minutes before they come in, okay?” 

“I'll have a nurse tell them on my way through.” The doctor closed up his case and smiled. “Until then, rest. I want you to take this. It will help with the dizziness.” He held out two white pills in his hand and handed Ed the glass of water on the stand. 

Ed grabbed the pills handed to him and immediately took it with the water. Unless he stopped the dizzy spells his ability to think clearly would be limited. “Will it stop the nausea?” 

“Maybe a little. I think rest will help with that more than anything.” The doctor stopped right before opening up the door. “You may need to stay longer than tonight, although I think if you take it easy, we can get you released tomorrow. I'll stop back later tonight and then in the morning and we'll go from there.” 

Forcing a smile on his face, Ed merely gave the doctor a quick nod. As much as he knew he should stay and rest so that he'd heal faster, there was no way he could unless Roy was in his office, doing what he normally did at headquarters. Concussions weren't usually deadly. As long as he didn't overdo it, he'd be fine. 

The doctor smiled back and left, and Ed yawned, pretending to be too tired to do much else. 

Once he was alone in the room, Ed waited a few minutes before carefully sitting up and easing himself off the bed until he was able to stand. They had put him in a gown, probably expecting he'd be there for awhile. His clothes had been put across the back of the chair near the door. He needed to dress if he planned on getting out of here. 

Ed took a few shaky steps forward and then stopped walking. He closed his eyes, trying to get a handle on the vertigo he felt from moving around. The medicine needed to kick in sooner or there would be a problem. His stomach could be managed, but if he passed out... Ed didn't want to think about that right now so he opened his eyes back up and moved on, forcing his legs to work in order to get to where he wanted to go. When he finally made it to the chair, again he stopped, before grabbing his clothes. If he was going to pull this off, he needed to be dressed and looking well. If anyone saw him wearing a gown, they would know immediately. 

Getting his clothes on was harder than he expected, but at least some of the dizziness had started to subside. Ed had managed to sit down in the chair and get his shirt and pants on. That was a start. But when he bent over to put on his socks it felt like a punch to the gut. Ed gasped and dropped his socks onto the floor. He put his hands on his thighs and took deep breaths until his stomach settled before he could finish dressing. 

Ten minutes had to have passed already, and if the doctor kept his word, someone from Roy's team would be in to check on him. Ed stood up and hobbled over to the small bathroom. That time had gone a lot smoother. The medicine was working. Soon after he turned on the bathroom light, he began to peel off the bandage on his head. Ed paused when he heard the door to his room open and close before pulling the gauze the rest of the way off. He grit his teeth as some hair came out with it. 

Once he got his bearings, Ed exhaled deeply. He could do this. “Hey,” he glanced out of the bathroom quick enough to see Fuery standing in the room. Ed turned to look into the mirror. The pupil in his left eye looked completely blown. It covered almost the entirety of his iris of his eye, leaving only a small gold ring visible. 

If any of them found out, he doubted they'd help him leave. Ed was on his own, and he'd have to play this very carefully if he was going to make it work. “Mind tellin' me what happened? The doctor didn't know other than Hawkeye had brought me here, passed out... or at least he didn't say anything else other than I hit my head and someone shot me with a tranquilizer gun. Kind of wondering where Mustang's at. The bastard owes me from a bet we made.” He added the last part so that it wouldn't seem suspicious that he was looking for Roy. 

“We're not sure,” Fuery said. “Colonel Hawkeye found you in the alleyway near his house and there was no sign of the General around. We were all wondering if he was with you this morning.” 

“He was with me. Stayed over at his place last night to go over some information I found in addition to what I brought back from Creta.” Ed closed his eyes and leaned against the sink. He hated lying to them. While he felt grateful Hawkeye wasn't the one here, he doubted the rest of the team knew about him and Roy. They deserved better than some shitty story he made up. “I was walking with him to Headquarters to wrap a few loose ends up and visit with you guys.” 

“We may have a lead, but I wanted to ask you first about this morning before bringing it up,” Fuery added. 

Ed made sure when he looked out the bathroom door, he kept his left eye hidden from Fuery's view. He plastered a grin across his face. “So you do know where Mustang's at. Already? That was quick.” 

“We have an idea. There was a transmission sent, only briefly enough to get a general idea of the location,” Fuery explained. “It's all we have to go on and it was done in code, which means the General probably sent it.” 

“And where would that be?” Ed turned away from the door and buttoned up his shirt the rest of the way. “You guys don't mind if I tag along, at least with you where you have the communications set up? Maybe I can help out.” 

“You're getting released already?” Fuery asked, and Ed could clearly heard the surprise in his voice. “I guess you only got a few bumps and bruises then?” 

“Yeah, it's nothing big. The doc said I was clear to go. I promise I'll take it easy and not over do it. Got lucky. Could've ended up with a concussion. But who knows. Maybe I'll be able to help out even if it's with something small. Another pair of eyes can't hurt, right?” Ed finished dressing and looked back out. “I still need few more minutes to get all my stuff ready. Maybe you can have a car pulled out front and waiting?” 

“Sure. It'll be a big help having your input,” Fuery said, and Ed felt another stab of guilt for lying to him. "The code was sent somewhere west of here, about a hundred miles out, towards a few old factories, but we still don't know the exact location." 

“Trust me, more than happy to do whatever I can. Don't think I'd be able to rest otherwise. 'Sides, can't very well let that bastard get out of our bet,” he said with a laugh. Ed took one last look at himself in the mirror. His left eye was still dilated and while the nausea had subsided, he still felt a little sick to the stomach. He could do this. He had to. 

“I'll head down then. We'll be waiting out front.” Ed heard Fuery open the door. “It's good to see you up and around.” 

The door clicked softy and Ed stepped out of the bathroom. He didn't have much time. If he didn't show up out front soon, someone would come back up looking for him. A hundred miles west of here was a way to go, but it gave him a starting point. He could look up the location of the old factories and go from there. 

Satisfied he at least had a starting point, Ed grabbed his wallet and coat, making sure his journal was still safely tucked inside of it, and looked around the room. There was only one other way out besides using the door. His choices were severely limited right now, and he couldn't afford to be picky about how he escaped so long as he managed to do it. 

Ed opened the window and stepped out onto the fire escape. His legs were still a little unsteady but once he felt he could stand without stumbling, he shut the window and started down the stairs. He would need to avoid the front of the hospital. If any staff saw him leaving then he'd run into some trouble. Even more so if anyone from Roy's team was around when it happened. And once Fuery told Breda what he had said, his rouse would undoubtedly be discovered. Breda would figure it out quickly that he had been full of shit. 

The first foot steps he made were uneven and a few times Ed had to right himself or else he would have fallen. He kept his thoughts on Roy and what he would do once he figured out where to go. Getting a car would be the next step. Ed knew he was in no condition to walk one mile, let a long a hundred, nor did he want to stretch this out any longer than necessary. 

Each step took effort to keep himself on course and down the metal stairs. Ed was grateful he was only on the second floor. Had he not already banged his head up, he might have jumped to save time. Risking additional injuries would do him or Roy any good so he forced himself not to rush. Before he knew it, his left foot touched the ground first and then his right. Ed put his hand on his head and stopped until the slight wave of vertigo was gone. While the medicine clearly helped, it didn't seem like it would fully stop the dizziness. At least not yet. 

Opening his eyes, Ed looked back up at the hospital building before turning and heading in the opposite direction. He didn't have much money on him, but it should be enough to catch a ride to then library and then maybe close enough to where Roy would be. All he needed to do was get far enough away from the hospital so no one spotted him. 

He stepped out into the side of building and noticed a plain black car sitting there. Ed ignored it for the time being and turned to see where he could sneak away and flag down a cab. As he was about to leave the alley, he heard the sound of a finger tapping, loudly... almost as if it were meant to grab his attention. 

Ed looked back and noticed that the car window was now rolled down and the driver had his hand out of the window, his fingers tapping against the side of it. Cautiously, Ed turned towards the car and walked closer. Now that he thought about it, it was strange for the car to be sitting along side of the hospital instead of on the street. Even more so that it happened to be where he snuck out. The stranger's hands moved back inside but did nothing else. 

Closing the distance, Ed stopped when he got to the window. “Is there a problem?” 

“You're Edward Elric, aren't you.” The man leaned his head closer to the window. 

The first thing Ed noticed was the military rank across the man's jacket. There was nothing else special or noteworthy about him. His light brown hair and green eyes told Ed he was probably Amestrian. The next thought to cross his mind was that he had been caught until he noticed the rest of the guy's clothes were normal looking. The panic that had quickly built up inside him subsided. 

“You're in a special division.” It wasn't a question. He had known the military had people who worked out of the normal ranks, and he had caught some whispers of it when he had been a State Alchemist, but Ed had never met or seen someone who worked in plain clothes before. 

“Who I am and what I do is none of your concern, but I do have something to show you. Get in and we'll take a ride,” the man said, smiling. 

“No thanks. I have somewhere else to be.” Ed was wasting time. He should be looking for Roy instead of talking with someone he didn't know. Let alone someone he didn't trust. Turning around, he took a few steps in the opposite direction. 

“If you're looking for General Mustang, then you don't want to pass this up.” The man leaned his head closer to the open window. “But, if you have somewhere more important to go then I'll go...” 

“Wait a minute...” Ed stopped and looked back. “You know where he's at?” Was that why this guy was waiting for him? How could this man possibly know what had happened to Roy? Did it even matter? He quickly decided that, no, it didn't. “If you do know where he is then take me to him.” He walked around to the passenger side door and got in. “That's why you came here, right?” 

The man laughed and put the car into reverse. “I came here to see what had the General's attention so much and to keep my favorite political attribute alive so yes, in a sense that's why I came here.” 

“You're one of his informants... fucking hell...” Had this guy been around them without him knowing? Ed leaned against the window as they started to head out of town. There was still so much he didn't know about Roy. The fact that he even had some within the military working for him, outside of his team and the people Ed already knew, surprised him even though it shouldn't have. 

“Is that what you call it? One of his informants?” the man asked, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. “I like to think what General Mustang and I have as more of an arrangement that rewards the both of us. I don't run around for him in exchange of nothing or for the sole benefit of pushing him further up the ranks.” 

That sounded unlike Roy to participate in an agreement like that yet from a political standpoint, it made sense. “Okay, you're not an informant... then who the hell are you?” Ed let his hands drop into his lap and scowled. He knew it wasn't the best way to start so early in the conversation nor the nicest, but still, he couldn't stop his mistrust from showing. The word arrangement sounded more like favors passed back and forth, and he knew how dirty it could get in the higher ranks. 

“I'm an acquaintance of General Mustang's. We've known each other for a long time. I don't see any reason to tell you more than that. In fact, I know he wouldn't want you to know about this and had circumstances been different, I wouldn't have contacted you.” The man only kept his eyes on the road, which annoyed Ed since it made it harder for him to read the guy's facial expressions. “It's interesting that he hasn't mentioned you, yet I've come to find out that you two seem to be closer than his normal contacts.” 

“I don't know what the fuck you're talking about. I'm only helping Roy with a few things.” Ed turned back to the window as they headed west. “My job is to get information for him and nothing else.” 

“You're not a very good liar. Your body language says differently and you call him by his first name instead of his last or his rank.” Finally, he did turn to look at Ed if only for a moment. “It took me awhile to work it out considering how careful Mustang usually is.” 

“How does this matter?” Ed asked, unable to connect where this was going or how this man even knew about them. He doubted Roy had said anything about their meetings, let along their feelings towards each other. “Why do you care?” 

“I don't. I'm merely curious. It's another piece to the puzzle that I have,” the man replied. “I had thought he'd given up his interest in men when he set his sights on becoming Fuhrer.” He chuckled and shook his head. "So hot-headed. I can see why someone like you would intrigue him so much. Mustang always liked strong-willed people." 

Then it hit Ed. “You watch him, don't you?” But the reasons escaped him. “Why, though... if you're in this mutual benefit weird-ass thing, why keep tabs on Roy?” 

“Part of our agreement requires me to know what he needs and when he'll need it without being asked. The only way to do this, is to watch him. The General is aware,” the man explained. “If you're worried about what I know, I don't pry behind closed doors. It didn't hit me until last night, when you walked him home after you left the bar. You both should be more careful or it won't take long for someone else to notice.” 

“I don't need advice from you.” It angered him that this man had the nerve to tell him what to do. And the information he had given so far hardly helped. Roy had never mentioned any of this to Ed, and how much could he believe from someone he just met? He obviously needed to tell Roy he met this man. He had too many questions already running through his mind. “That's not very comforting. I don't even know you or know why you were here, waiting for me. Seems a little weird that you knew I'd sneak out of the hospital.” 

“I almost took you when you were still in alley, but she got to you first. Given your background, it wasn't hard to figure out that you wouldn't stay there if you thought General Mustang was missing,” he told Ed. “You have a long history of taking risks even when you're injured.” 

“If you know where he's at, why haven't you done anything about it? Roy could be dead already.” That was another thing that bothered Ed about this conversation. “If he's so important to you, why didn't you take care of it already?” 

“Because, I can't risk being seen. If I were to do that, our arrangement would no longer be mutually beneficial. ” The car made another left and soon nothing but country surrounded them. “Your focus is off. You shouldn't be asking me questions about myself but asking how you can help. We're wasting valuable time right now when you could be coming up with a plan.” 

Ed narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to say something... but he let it drop. As much as he hated to admit it, this man was right. He had wasted time asking questions that didn't matter. Time was running out, and he needed to know how to find Roy. “Alright, you have my full attention." Sighing, he turned to the man and leaned his left shoulder against the car door. "Tell me what I need to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters left! Then hopefully this story will be properly wrapped up ^^


	14. Chapter 14

Ed scowled and his hands and feet fidgeted as he impatiently waited for his 'friend' to speak. If he were going to find Roy, he needed some idea of the location and what he'd need to bring with him. Otherwise, he'd have to wing it and hope for the best outcome. 

That was nothing new for him. Ed had been there, done that many times, but he preferred to plan something like this ahead of time... or at least be given the option to think about it before barreling into the unknown. He wasn’t a young, naïve kid anymore. Diving in and getting ahead of himself would end complicating rescuing Roy. 

"What you need to do is bring General Mustang back alive." Silence stretched between them for almost a full five minutes. 

Ed's hands twitched as he tried to restrain himself from punching this man. "Wow, that really answered my question. So glad I asked." Despite his biting sarcasm, he felt helpless and frustrated more than anything. "I already know I gotta bring Roy back, but what I don't know is what I'll be walking into. I’d rather not cobble together something half-assed." 

"I don't have an answer for that." He gave Ed a careful look before turning his eyes back to the road and speeding up. "This isn't my rescue mission. You need to come up with a plan for yourself. Even if the General’s team figures out the location, you’ll be there, on your own for awhile. We already have a head start on them, and I know exactly where to go.” 

As much as Ed wanted to say something nasty and biting in return, this man was already doing him a huge favor by taking him to Roy. If Fuery's calculations had been right, the distance was too far for him to cover without help, and finding someone to take him might not have panned out. He could still be back in Central trying to work things out. Ed would've have stolen a car if he had to. But now he _wouldn’t_ have to steal cars or man-handle anyone if he did it this way. He had to make this work even if that meant playing nice for a while. 

“You gotta name?” Ed didn't want to spend the remainder of the car ride referring to his driving companion as 'that guy' in his head, and if he wasn't going to get help with how to find Roy other than being dumped off somewhere, maybe he could at least get an idea of who this man was and what he _really wanted_. 

“Nihl,” he said with a laugh as if he were sharing a private joke. Perhaps someday, he’d let Ed in on it. 

“Okay then… Nihl,” Ed frowned and rested his head back against the seat. That was a bullshit name, but had he really expected anything else? “So how come you know where Roy’s at? If Fuery was only able to get a general location, how do you know?” 

“There’s a reason someone like Roy Mustang deals with a man like me. I have eyes and ears everywhere,” he explained. “The division I work for has access to Intel no one else does. The code, while efficient and covert shows up on our radar. There’s only one place out there to take a man you plan to kill. It was easy enough for me to piece together.” 

“So when you said you keep tabs on Roy… you meant detailed plans, didn’t you?” The air in the car grew uncomfortable for him. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. This man probably worked for the most obscure section of the military possible. The confidence and arrogance coming off him only made Ed feel tense. 

He had always known there were parts of the military kept secret, but he had hoped most of those had ended when Father had been defeated. That some of them still existed angered Ed. He trusted Roy's judgment but why let something like that continue? 

“No. I don’t have time to keep track of everything he does." Nor did he want to. "Roy Mustang is a busy man and has his hands dug too deep into too many things, but I can make the time if I need to.” He pressed his foot on the gas. “It was sheer luck I happened to witness them taking the General.” He took his eyes off the road to look at Ed. "When you see him, tell him to be more careful. I doubt he'll be as fortunate next time." 

The car started to rattle. Ed caught a peek at the speedometer; it read close to ninety and was climbing. Normally he’d want out if the person driving was crazy enough to go that speed, but the faster they went, the sooner he’d get to Roy. Ed bared down in his seat and pushed his doubt away. "Okay, then. I'll come up with a plan once I get there." 

Nihl glanced at Ed. The only thought that crossed his mind was, ‘How naive’ As if it were that simple. Ed’s heart was in the right place, but he still had a lot to learn. It was going to be interesting to see how he handled this… if they managed to make it out alive. At least Ed was a fighter. 

"One piece of advice. When you get there, no matter what happens, who’s there with you, don't hesitate to act. It could mean the difference between getting out alive or ending up with a bullet in your head." Nihl had met plenty of people like Ed over the years. Their naïve idealism was often their undoing. 

"Not gonna kill anyone if that's what you mean." Ed didn't like where the conversation was going. He wasn't surprised that it came up, but the idea of taking another life had never been easy for him to stomach. 

"If it comes down to you or them, or more importantly, Roy or them, are you really going to let them kill him?" Nihl already knew the answer. If Ed had to choose, he'd choose Mustang, but forcing him to admitting to it was another thing. "That doesn't seem like the actions of a man in love, now does it?" 

“Don't put thoughts into my head and act like you know what I'd do. My feelings towards Roy are none of your business.” Ed snapped. This man had a lot of nerve trying to manipulate him like that. "I know how to handle myself, and my feelings towards Roy have nothing to do with me not wanting to kill someone." 

"Suit yourself, but you should at least have a gun to take with you." Or some kind of weapon. Nihl knew Ed had nothing on him. Obviously, considering he had just escaped from the hospital. 

"When exactly was I supposed to get one? You insisted that I get in the car with you because of Roy." Ed averted his gaze to the window again. "The only excuse you have for bringin' that up is if you have something for me to use. Otherwise, it's stupid to tell me that." 

Nihl slowly depressed the break as the car sped around a sharp curve. “I assure you, I have no plans on giving you a gun. I could offer another alternative, though I’m certain if you want a gun, you’ll have no trouble finding one.” 

“Told ya already, no intention of using a gun.” Ed’s fingers twitched against his thigh. 

Silence drifted over them. Nihl simply shrugged it off. If Ed was careful enough, he could easily get a hold of a gun from one of Mustang's captors. Ed was wrong about one thing. While Nihl had an extra gun, he'd never risk handing a gun over for someone else to use. That could be linked back to him. Roy Mustang wasn't worth that much to him. No one was. 

Nihl turned his attention back to the road and grinned. A gun might be out of the question, but he would, however, offer Ed a knife. 

~*~ 

“He’s gone. We should’a guessed he’d take off after Mustang. Still as reckless as ever.” Havoc took a drag off his cigarette and exhaled. “How’re we gonna handle this one?” 

Riza inhaled deeply and slowly let it out. What a mess. Now they had not only one missing person but two. Ed should have known better. Something reckless like this she expected from Roy but not from Ed. Not after all he had been through growing up. Some men never grew out of their recklessness. It seemed like those two had more in common than she thought. 

When she found Ed unconscious this morning, Riza had been certain he'd stay that way for at least a few hours, and at the very most, wake up but be unable to get around enough to leave the hospital. She had planned on asking him a few questions to see if he knew what had happened to Roy if that were the case. Sending Fuery up to Ed's room had been a mistake. They all should have gone. It would have made it harder for Ed to take off. Now they were placed in a precarious position. 

She had tried to talk to the doctor, but he wasn't forthcoming with Ed's injuries. It was too bad Alphonse wasn't close by. Only family could make private inquiries on a patient, and her military status wouldn't help her. The best she could hope for was that overall, Ed was in good enough condition that by the time he was found, he'd be okay. 

Roy would want them to look for Ed first. She knew that, however, finding the General was her top priority. He was her responsibility before all others, and right now Riza didn't see how she could do both without compromising the promise she made to Roy years ago. 

Riza quietly considered her options. They could look for Ed, but no one seemed to know what happened exactly except that Ed had snuck out of the hospital through the window, or she could continue the original plan to search for Roy. They’d have to make an adjustment or two, but doing the latter would give them a chance to start now. 

There wasn't enough people at her disposal to do both. Finding Ed could potentially take time. They didn't have extra time to spend on that, and it was his choice to leave the hospital instead of staying. She doubted he would be able to find Roy unless he had contacts she was unaware of. More than anything—though she doubted Ed's sensibilities with this—she hoped he'd give up, trust them to handle the situation, and come back. 

She turned to Havoc. "We continue on with our plan only all five of us will go instead of leaving Fuery behind," Riza paused, mulling over whether or not they should alert the rest of military or keep this secret for now. "Also, contact Fuhrer Grumman. He should know what's going on in case we need backup, but tell no one else. We'll meet back here in ten minutes and leave. Has Breda managed to figure out the exact location yet?" 

"Not the exact location but he's got it nailed down pretty good. We should be able to look at a map and figure it out." Havoc snuffed out his smoke. "We can go over that on the way there if you're looking to shave off some time spent pouring over the logistics." 

"I don't think we have much of a choice." Riza sighed, frustrated by their lack of choices. "Every second that passes means the General could end up dead. If we're going to do this, we need to move fast." 

"And what about Ed?" Havoc asked as he put another unlit cigarette in his mouth. 

"He made his choice to take off. He'd going to have to work this out on his own. We don't have the time or resources to look for them both. We could alert the military to his disappearance, but there's no guarantee that will help." Without knowing fully who they could trust making that call could put Ed's life in danger. 

"He won't like it," Havoc said—referring to Roy—with a shrug, "but he'll get over it. He'll understand. He's gotta know we're not going to leave him behind." 

Riza wasn't so sure about that. Although she agreed Roy would understand her position and decision, if something happened to Ed in the meantime, she doubted he'd get over it. He wasn't the type of man to get over anything or anyone easily. Havoc knew that too and was only saying to that make her feel better. She appreciated the sentiment. 

"Regardless if he likes it, we can't put it off. Not for Ed. Not for him. Not for anyone." Riza started walking away. "Ten minutes, we meet." 

She walked around the side of the hospital and stopped where Ed had escaped from the window. The alley only led out into the rest of Central City. There was nothing special about this spot except it anyone back here wouldn't be seen by people using the front entrance of the hospital. It was one of many tiny streets hidden behind businesses that people used to cut across parts of the city. 

Riza checked her watch. In a couple of minutes they’d have to leave. While she didn’t have a lot of time to spend on this, until the rest of her team showed up, she was going to try and find whatever she could. 

Walking down the alley, Riza tried to look for any clues while she had the chance. Even though Roy was her top priority, if Ed didn’t turn up by the end of the day, he was next in line. Any hints she could gather now before they were worth checking into. Later on there was little chance they'd find any clues that might have been left behind. 

The fire escape looked used but after that, she couldn’t find any footprints or indication Ed had walked away from here, which was a bit odd. The hospital routinely had staff keep the area clean. It was possible one of their street sweepers had swept the evidence away, though she didn't remember hearing one. 

Her eyes moved from the window he escaped from, down the fire escape, and in the only direction Ed could have went without them seeing him. If he had come out the same end she entered the alley then he would have had to have walked near the front of the hospital. So that left the other direction, putting Ed out near the main street and cent of the city. 

From there, he would have easy access to anywhere he needed to go. On foot didn't leave Ed with many options. He could, in theory, be headed to Dr. Knox's home if he still had any medical problems. He told Fuery he was fine, but Riza didn't entirely trust that assessment. Without cooperation from the doctors, she had no way to verify that. But why escape from a hospital and go to another doctor? Surely, Ed had something in mind. 

She felt like she had missed something but what? Riza walked the entire way down and back. Nothing. Not one scrap of evidence left along the ground. It almost seemed too neat and tidy... then again, Ed would know to be careful if he planned on sneaking away. 

"The car's all packed up. We're ready to go whenever you are." Breda stopped and stood next to her. “If you want, I can stick around and see if I can work out where Ed took off to.” 

“No…" Her eyes pulled away from the alley as her attention to the scene was broken. "It’s better if we all go.” Riza turned to Breda. “Let’s move out then,” she said while walking towards their vehicle. 

~*~ 

“Nice try, but there's no way you can escape unless you manage to kill all of us,” their leader said, pressing his gun deeper into Roy's back. "If one of us survives, you will die. We didn't come unprepared." 

Roy held back a retort that he would be more than happy to do just that even though he'd rather not leave a trail of fire and burnt corpses in the process. The legal process would set him back, and Ed would probably chew him out for it, but what good was it to worry about possible consequences if he ended up dead from waiting? Despite what they thought, these men were horribly unprepared. They could have killed him already. Should have if they were serious about doing it. 

His patience was starting to wear thin, and he could feel a tug of desperation growing in him. Roy needed to get out of here, and whatever he decided to do, it had to be soon. The longer he waited, the less chance he had of survival. 

He fully assessed the men around him to see what he was dealing with. Their leader he already knew was dangerous. The tallest man had sandy-blond hair and green eyes and looked like he could stand a fair chance at lasting longer than a few minutes against Alex Armstrong. The smallest man had dark hair and brown eyes. The middle man had brown hair and blue eyes. Their boss Roy was already well enough acquainted with that his eyes only did a brief once-over. 

“Obviously, it wasn’t a good try.” Roy pulled forward a bit in an attempt to move away from the gun. “I’m still here, right?” He spared a glance at the other two men, who simply stood there, guns pointed towards him. Options went through his mind. He could probably take out a couple of them before he was shot. Tempting, although, he'd most likely be dead before he could take out all three of them. 

“Maybe you need to accept your fate, General.” Roy’s captor pulled the gun back. “I still have it cocked and ready to shoot so don’t try to run. It’ll only make your death more painful.” 

Another threat that seemed to drag on. His instinct told him to run, that he could make it. If he tried hard enough he could make it around the corner and back up the hill they came, or go in another direction to see if it provided him with a better opportunity for cover then pick them off one by one. 

All it would take was a quick clap and snap of his fingers, and he could probably do it, but instead, Roy stood there quietly, and didn't make a move. They way they were all positioned meant he'd either burn himself alive with them or get shot if he ran first. He had lost his chance for now. This time they'd be more careful with how they tied him up. 

"Now, c'mon. Hands behind your back." The leader waved the other three men closer. "It'd be a pity to have to kill you here." 

“As opposed to somewhere else?” Despite his sarcasm, Roy did as he was told. If they were that hell bent on killing him in a certain way, a few pops off at the mouth wasn't going to make a difference. Roy grinned. He couldn't help but savor the fact that he could get to these men in his own way. A small victory considering he hadn't managed to escape yet. The code he sent out might not even reach his team, and by now Ed was most likely safe, with Hawkeye looking after him. 

Roy finally allowed himself to relax a bit as that thought settled over him, satisfied with that thought. Enough time _had_ passed. Surely, Ed was safe by now and in the capable hands of doctors. He couldn't explain how he felt so sure of that, or whether or not his mind had finally had enough and had decided to lie to itself, but Roy didn't care. He latched onto that small amount of comfort. Ed was still young enough that if things went south here, he could realistically move on. 

It’d be tough for Ed at first—he always had a big heart and took things hard—but eventually time lessened most pain. Roy knew that it was possible, after all, their relationship had barely begun. 

As he waited for them to bind him, one of the men, the tallest one, grabbed Roy by the shoulders and shoved him towards the ground. He lost his footing, stumbling before falling on his hands. 

He was tired of being pushed around. If they were going to kill him, they should have done it already. Roy stood up and brushed his pants off. He was done, but cleaning off what he could provided a small amount of dignity. If his intuition was correct, and Ed was safe, he really had nothing to lose at this point. 

The tall man shoved him again, and this time instead of allowing his body to move forward, Roy pushed back to keep himself grounded. He turned around to face his attacker. He wouldn't be caught off guard this time nor would he be bound. If they were going to fight him, he wasn’t going to make it easy on them. 

Then something unexpected happened. Roy felt himself grabbed from behind and lifted up off the ground. By the time his feet his the ground again, he turned around and grabbed the second attacker by the shoulders and turned the man around. 

His fist came down hard across the man’s neck, and before he could get a reaction, Roy took both hands and twisted. A sickening crack echoed around him. The body dropped in a crumpled heap. Roy watched the man’s chest for any signs of movement. Nothing. 

He didn’t know what had gotten into him or why he had done that. Maybe the thoughts of Ed surviving had finally made Roy lose his mind, but as he stood there, in front of his captures, a cold sting of fear ran down his back. The idea that he may have very well fucked up beyond repair sprang forth. They could simply get rid of him any way they wanted and tell their employer a different story. 

It had been a long time since he killed someone with his bare hands. The last time he had come close to doing so, Ed had been there to stop him. Along with Hawkeye and Scar. He had no one worth noting here with him now, and for the first time since he had been kidnapped, Roy felt relieved Ed had been left behind. 

Killing from a distance or simply snapping his fingers was monstrous enough. Calmly breaking a man’s neck for shoving him another. He could list the reasons and try to justify it well enough, but Roy couldn't deny the satisfaction he briefly felt while doing it. His fear and anxiety that now overwhelmed him came only from the thought that he’d probably never see Ed again. 

There had been so much he had wanted to say earlier. Why hadn’t he? Why did he have to keep pushing Ed away? 

Because, he had been afraid and that’s what he knew. It had been so long since Roy had allowed another person close to him in an intimate and romantic way. The thought of doing so sent chills down his spine. Allowing Ed in would mean risking being seen for who he really was, and right now the man he was, was a murderer, not far off from the likes of Kimblee. 

"He's dead," the shortest man said, prodding his fallen teammate with his foot. The body flopped over and landed on the ground with a heavy thump. 

Roy didn’t turn away. Whenever he killed someone, Kimblee’s words from long ago always came to mind. He wouldn’t avert his eyes away from any death he caused. He stared into the man’s open eye—his other eye being covered by the ground. Roy realized, in that moment, if he could do it all over, he’d break the man’s neck again. They had kidnapped him, hurt Ed, and there was no end in sight. 

"You're as dangerous as they say you are." There was surprise in the Boss man's voice. 

Roy turned his head up, puzzled for a moment by why his captures hadn't expected something like this to happen. They had known enough to bind his hands when they first captured him. “Surely, you've heard stories of Ishval and the Flame Alchemist?" 

"I have, but stories usually end up getting overblown throughout the years. Countless tales that end up nothing like the events that really happened." He almost stepped closer to then thought better or it. "Sure, as the Flame Alchemist you're dangerous, but I have to admit I thought you'd be easier to control without it." 

_'What a foolish man,'_ Roy thought. He supposed that after years of playing the immature playboy and pretending like his job was simply something he had because of his alchemical skills, there were probably some people around who didn't truly fear him. He wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse. 

Right now it seemed more the latter. He should’ve kept up the rouse and waited for a better opening. Then maybe he could’ve taken them all out. _‘You still could,’_ his mind suggested. 

He could, no doubt, if he wanted to. Roy could easily engulf the whole area in flames. He would most likely die right along with them. The option was there if he wanted to take it, but the funny thing about thinking too much was that now that his thoughts turned the idea around in his head, he no longer desired death. 

He wanted to escape. Roy wanted to get out of here and back to Ed sooner rather than later. Time was swiftly ticking away, and it wouldn't be long before his bell would toll. If he didn't do something soon, he would end up a dead man. 

"If I'm that dangerous, you could always walk away instead of risking anyone else's life," Roy suggested in a tone that hopefully came across as reasonable. He needed an extra minute or two to put together a plan. 

Of course, the offer was only temporary. He'd make damn sure to hunt these men down later if they were wise enough to consider his words. Then they'd at least get a trail and have half a chance of coming out of this alive. He might not have much fight left in him, but if his team found them the likely result would be death. No other scenario came to mind. 

If Hawkeye came bursting through the door, shots would be fires, and Roy knew his team could handle themselves. These men, while strong and somewhat capable, lacked the same survival skills as military personal. 

“I don't think so." His words caught Roy's attention, who only looked at the man questioningly. "You assume we don't have any leverage left against you, but you're wrong." 

That's because Roy was certain they didn't. He knew what this man was implying, but he didn't say anything in response. Wouldn't they have brought Ed along with them if they had wanted to keep that over his head? 

After we took you, we had your friend detained." The man grinned. "You honestly thought I'd let him go and risk you escaping?" His grinned dropped as he mocked concerned. "Oh, you did, didn't you? You thought if you came with us, everything would be fine." 

Roy stood still and didn't react at all, but doubt began to creep up in his thoughts. He knew these men couldn't be trusted. It was possible they still had Ed. He had left so how could he know if anyone had come after them and took Ed? 

"You're lying," he finally managed to say, though the words lacked the conviction he had felt earlier about Ed's safety. He raised his hands ready to clap if needed. 

"Am I?" The man grinned. "Are you willing to take that risk? There's only one way to find out, and that's to escape. You could kill us all, but would you go home to a dead friend or would he be alive and safe?" 

Roy opened his mouth but nothing came out. He didn't have the answer to those questions. In truth, he didn't know if Ed was safe or not. Roy didn't know if Hawkeye had found Edward and taken him to a hospital. It was impossible for him to know of Ed's fate when he had been here the entire time. 

"Alright," Roy put his hands down and straightened out his stance. Without having a clear answer on Ed's condition, he had no choice but to see this one through. 

As soon as he complied Roy felt the first hit came across his back and then his shoulders. He was shoved hard to the ground and repeatedly kicked until he thought he might lose consciousness. He gasped for air, trying to take in as much of it as he could while trying to protect his middle and head. 

He heard a loud crack and pain ripped through his body and settled in his ribs. Once the kicking finally stopped, Roy peered up at the captors through his bangs. His chances for escape just went down to almost none. Hell, he'd be lucky if he could stand or walk on his own after this. 

"That's much better. However, I can't risk you escaping again or killing another one of my men.” The man said as he raised the gun, aimed it at Roy, and pulled the trigger. 

~*~ 

The car drove away, leaving him on the outskirts of what looked like a group of warehouses. Nihl had dropped him off in a spot where the car wouldn't be spotted. Any closer would've risked Ed being seen before he had the chance to search for Roy. 

Despite how weird that guy had been, he was grateful that Nihl at least seemed to want him to find Roy alive. Even though he never wanted them to meet again, Ed felt like he owned Nihl for this. He hated owing people, but this was one favor he'd probably return... if he managed to come back alive and not in a body bag. 

Ed carefully sidled up the hill and over its edge and peered over to see if he could get an idea of what he'd be walking into. He had never been here before even though he had been all over the country countless of times. Normally, he had a place to be or someone to visit or an end goal in mind and there wasn't much time to explore areas like this. 

He patted the knife he had hidden in his boot. Not the most ideal place for it, but his pants didn't have the right kind of pockets to keep a weapon safe from moving around and it was secure. At least he had a chance at grabbing it there instead of reaching for it and finding it had shifted or worse, falling and impaling himself with it. 

Ed moved into position to get a look at what he had in front of him. From where he crouched down, he couldn't see anyone down over the hill. No cars or trucks or any signs of life except one warehouse that had smoke coming out of it as if it had caught on fire. That at least meant he had the right place. Roy must have used alchemy and was here or had been. 

If Nihl was right, there would be more than enough for him to deal with unless Roy had managed to take everyone out already. Considering there was no sign of him either, Ed doubted it. Seeing the building smoking only made him feel anxious and unsure. Ed wasn't even sure he could do it on his own. A part of him wished he had waited for Hawkeye and came with her, but considering they weren't here yet, he'd have to try. 

The area was fairly open even though there were a few rows of buildings he could maneuver around. He just had to get down the hill and behind one of them before he was noticed. Though Ed was certain no one had seen him yet, it felt like a trap. All his senses were on alert, and despite the splitting headache he had, his thoughts were coming through clear enough. Not that he had been expecting a welcoming committee, but the ghost-town feel unnerved him even more. 

Keeping out of sight the best he could, Ed descended the hill slowly. He let gravity do most of the work, and partially slid down to the bottom to keep himself as low to the ground as possible. Once he stopped moving, Ed leaned up and moved as fast as he could to where the first row of buildings were. He needed cover as soon as he could get it. 

The fact that he had been left, unconscious, in the alley should have made him feel less paranoid about being discovered, but the remote area was less likely to be found by Roy's team. He wouldn't get anywhere by thinking about all the possible ways this could go wrong so he slouched down more and started to move. 

He sidled along and managed to slink around to the back end of the first row to catch his breath. The medicine the doctor had given him to hold off the pain and nausea was already starting to wear off. If he was lucky, it would last him another hour, but all the movement he was putting himself through didn't help. He needed to rest. Ed knew that was the best thing to do, but shook his head in defiance. 

Roy had been missing for too long. The thought that he might already be too late made Ed sick to his stomach. Whoever had him would only keep Roy alive for so long. Considering the information he had retrieved in Creta, negotiations or ransom seemed unlikely. This had one plan of action and that was to kill Roy. He didn't much care for politics or all the bullshit that came with it, but Ed knew that Roy was too good at his job and now someone wanted him dead for it. 

The rest didn’t matter—at least not right now. Ed had every intention of tracking down everyone involved in this plot. He wouldn’t be able rest if Roy’s life was still in danger. 

He hurried along, quietly, constantly watching out for any signs someone might be around. When Ed reached the end, he checked out the smoking building. Enough of it had cleared that he could see inside the broken door. Two men were laying on the ground, and he had no idea if they were still alive. Turning away, he didn't bother going inside to check. Roy was more important, and he wasn't in there. Taking the risk of being seen already wasn't a good idea. The others could fend for themselves as far as he was concerned. 

As Ed was leaving his leg caught on the edge of the broken door. He tugged on it and pain shot up through him. “Dammit,” he cursed softly. Bending down, Ed looked it over. A thick piece of metal had snagged and broke through his pants, embedding itself in his leg. 

Fortunately, the cut didn't look deep, but the metal was still attached to the door frame. He could pull his leg off of it. That was the fastest option so he braced himself and pulled away. He clenched his teeth together and muffled a yep of pain. As soon as his leg was free, he staggered away from the door, tenderly touching the wound while looking it over. Carefully, he ripped away a strip of his shirt and tied it around the semi-shallow wound. Ed wrapped up the cut the best he could and then limped away from the smoking building to next the row behind it. 

He gave himself a few minutes to take a breather and adjust to the pain in his leg. Just as he was about to move to another section, Ed spotted movement to his left. He slunk up to the corner of one building and looked around it. He pulled his head back quickly when he spotted a man he didn't know. That guy had a gun and was standing around like he was a lookout. How he had been missed by this guy was a mystery to Ed. 

This guy obviously had no real back up or else Ed knew he'd be dead by now. This space was to out in the open to not see someone coming no matter how careful they were. That meant that they either didn't have enough men for a full compliment of lookouts, or Roy had managed to subdue some of them already. 

He was hoping for the latter more than anything. That would mean Roy had managed to get free, but regardless of the reasons, he needed to take this man out and keep going. He could manage to cover the warehouses in a relatively decent time so long as he didn't run into trouble. 

Ed crept up behind the man, bringing his hand down hard and fast across the back of the guy's neck. The man fell and crumbled onto the ground. Ed winced at the sudden movement. He steadied himself, sucking in a deep breath and tenderly touching the back of his head. His headache was back, and there was no more medicine for him to take. 

He slip inside the building closest to him. The inside was dusty and fortunately, empty. He walked over to the window on the far end of the room. It had a thin layer of dirt smeared across it, but Ed wiped away the crust the best he could with his arm. He looked out to get a better look at what was behind the buildings while he still had enough sunlight. 

Ed noticed the way the silos were positioned and how two already had smoke coming from them while the last one didn't. Shouldn't they all be in use? Overall everything looked functioning. The last building is where he'd start. It was possible they had shut it down for whatever reason, which meant they probably had plans to use it. 

He spotted two men coming from the last silo and heading towards off the to left, away from the warehouse buildings. Finally, the signs of life he had been looking for, though Roy wasn't with either of them, but it could be where they kept their vehicles. Ed looked away once they were out of sight and turned his full attention to the last silo. 

Even it had broken down, it seemed the likely choice to take Roy. The building would be less likely to have a worker wondering in if it was closed for repairs. Ed silently moved between the warehouses to get closer. He stopped when he reached the last row. There was a large open area between the last row and the smokehouses. Even if he were careful enough, Ed knew crossing would come with its own risk. 

He glanced around to see if he could catch any movement. Ed heard a sound behind him. He noticed a car pulling up on top of the hill. Ed stayed hidden. Most likely it was Hawkeye, but Roy's team would only interfere. He didn't want to be relegated to sitting in the car while they search. He already covered more ground than they had and had to be close to finding out where Roy had been stashed. Ed would have given up if he hadn't seen signs that no one had left. 

At this point, either Roy was dead or he was hidden either by force or by choice. Ed couldn't afford to make himself known, but he'd be damned if he turned back now. Determined, Ed headed back outside and made a run for it. 

~*~ 

Roy's body and head hurt like hell and he was pretty sure a couple of his ribs were broken or at least fractured. The gunshot wound in his left knee screamed at him with each movement he made, and the wound in his right shoulder all but made him double over. But Roy didn't give any of them the satisfaction of hearing him complain. He silently kept moving forward while making sure not to bump his injuries the best he could, which proved harder than expected now that his hands were tightly bound together. The bleeding hadn't fully stopped, but the makeshift tourniquets they had hastily slapped on him earlier stopped him from passing out from blood loss. 

He glanced down at it. The bandages needed changed and his wounds cleaned up, although he knew he'd never get the chance to do it. If what that man had said about Edward was true then he'd have to see this through, and he'd need it to end before Riza came for him. That was the only way to ensure Ed’s safety. 

"You're demeanor has changed. It's amazing what a few words can do to a man as powerful as you. What a waste you'd allow petty friendships to weaken you, reduce you down to nothing." The Boss man said while chuckling. 

Roy ignored him in favor of moving ahead. If Ed’s life was still in danger, any misspoken words could have an impact. There were a lot of mistakes he had made over the years that he would never forgive himself for. He wasn’t about to add another to that rather lengthy list. They could taunt him all they wanted. Let them have their fun, after all, killing the Flame Alchemist was a rare opportunity. They'd get their chance to brag about all they wanted before they were hunted down and put on trial. 

"He's lost all his fight, guys." The Boss man laughed, turning around and gesturing his arms wide. "This is what happens to people who think they can make the world a better place. They end up dead, like you," he finished by giving Roy a nod. 

The other men laughed, although none of them tried to push Roy this time. With his hands bound behind his back and facing outward, it wasn't as if he could defend himself. He knew the baiting wouldn't stop until they reached their destination, but didn't this man ever tire of it? 

They were in the silos behind the warehouses, weaving between them. Once they rounded the corner and passed those, there was one left, about fifteen feet in front of them. This silo stood alone, away from the other buildings. It made sense that if Roy were put anywhere, it'd be here, that last place normally checked. The place furthest from the road that led here. 

The area here looked like it had been long abandoned and useless. Anyone who came looking for him would most likely check the buildings below the hill before working their way back here, though, they might be able to follow the trail of blood. Roy had left plenty of that behind. 

“Keep moving.” The shortest man shoved Roy forward hard enough to make him stumble. 

Roy kept quiet. They didn't need to keep him around any longer, and he didn't see a reason to interact with any of them. If he were going to die, then he planned to go with as much silent dignity as he could. 

The group came to a sudden stop. Roy watched as one of the men unlocked the small door that led into the building the silo was attached to. The inside was dusty and looked like it hadn't been used very often, or no one bothered with the upkeep. Roy hadn’t seen a thick layer of dust like that since he last visited Knox. 

“May I ask what you intend to do with me?” Roy stood there and waited for them to move. Once they did, he spotted a set of stairs ahead of them. Roy braced himself for the inevitable pain as they started up. 

“I intend to leave you here and let the steam do the rest for me.” The Boss man grabbed Roy by the arm and pulled him along. “Like I said earlier, it's nothing personal. Hell the idea wasn't even mine, although I admit it's very fitting for a man like you. Even if your team manages to find you, I don't see how they'll make it in time. These things go off at a certain time everyday, and this one is scheduled to blow in thirty minutes.” 

Despite the man's reassurance that it was nothing personal, Roy could tell he was enjoying every bit of this. They had kept him longer than needed, played with him. Maybe there wasn't an ominous figure pulling the strings. Roy didn't know this man enough to recall any possible past slights. Nothing came to mind no matter how hard he thought on it, although admittedly, he was in no condition to think clearly. 

A half hour was a considerable amount of time to wait and kill him. With his leg injury he could bleed out before then or not be able to make it up the up the stairs, Roy doubted he'd be able to free himself in time. His body was slow, and no matter how hard he tried to gather enough energy to move faster, he still plodded along. Not being able to use his hands severely crippled his ability to do anything. 

Once they reached the top, there was a short area not even big enough to be a room and then another stairway straight ahead. Roy stumbled along behind the men the several feet it took them to get to the other side. 

They dragged him up the second set of stairs and down a short hall. There was a single door at the end. The men unlocked it and shoved him inside. Roy fell to his knees, then tipped forward, and hit his chin off the floor. Anger flared up in him again. 

He didn’t even know why his mind wouldn’t let go of the possibility of getting away. He was shot and bleeding. The vehicle they came in had left. Roy knew there was a slim chance of surviving here but for how long? Without any medical supplies, he’d risk infection and going back out there he’d get shot. 

Roy was trapped, and outside of a small window several feet from the ground, the only out was through the door, which seemed heavy and too solid for him to bust it down. At least not in the condition he was in. 

His captors pulled him over to the far center wall and bound Roy by his hands against the high pressure turbine. Blood sloshed down his leg as the bandage moved partially away from his knee wound. Roy turned his head towards the window. The sun had almost set already. Soon it would be dark. 

From outside, he could see a few snow flurries starting to come down. It felt somewhat ironic that he, the Flame Alchemist, would die on a cold wintry day. Not that the cold or snow could've stopped him. Only Ed and the fear of his life being in danger dampened Roy’ s ability. 

Despite his injuries, his thoughts were clear. Roy knew exactly when the men left the room and locked the door. He could hear their chatter and laughter. He kept his eyes focused ahead, slowly moving his bound hands against the turbine and waited. 

~*~ 

Hawkeye lowered her gun. “It's Edward,” she said, frowning. How in the world had Ed ended up out here? “We should start on the far end at the building where he went inside. He's obviously had more time than we have to look around. If he had found the General already, he wouldn't have gone in.” 

They had just arrived so how did Ed know to come here? He should still be in Central. Fuery never told him where exactly the signal had come from. He had to have had help, but from whom? It was possible one of Roy’s other informants had stepped in and aided Ed. Regardless, it didn’t matter and changed nothing. Finding Roy outweighed everything else. At least now she didn’t have to worry about tracking Ed down. 

“You think Mustang is still alive?” Havoc tossed his cigarette onto the ground and snuffed it out with his foot. “He's been missing for almost a day already.” 

She turned towards Havoc. She had known Roy Mustang for a long time. He was still alive. Riza didn’t know how else to explain it. A gut feeling? Intuition? She wasn’t certain, but she wouldn’t give false hope based on a gut feeling. “The only way to find out is to go down there and see for ourselves.” 

Hawkeye looked from Havoc to Breda and then to Falman and Fuery. “We'll go in one small group. Falman and Fuery, you two stay behind and back us up as we move down. If you see someone don't hesitate to shoot.” 

“Are we sticking to our plan?” Fuery asked while he adjusted his glasses. 

“For the most part, but anyone of us may have to improvise. If for some reason we run into Ed, I think it'd be better to keep our distance. He may lead us to the General, and if we interfere with that, we could lose time.” Hawkeye handed the bag to Fuery. “There's enough ammo in there for the two of you. If we don't come back in an hour, or you run out of bullets, I want you both to head back and contact Fuhrer Grumman and tell him what happened.” She nodded to Breda and Havoc. “Come on, let's go.” 

The three of them started down the hill, careful to stay low and as out of sight as they could. The descent was slow considering none of them could risk being seen. 

Riza noticed footprints and possibly signs of a scuffle here and there, or the people who had Roy were simply shoving him around. 

At the bottom, they split off to investigate around the buildings. So far none of them had run into another person, which meant they were all either hiding and waiting or concentrated in the same area. 

One of the warehouses looked burnt. Roy had been here. She’d start there and see what she could find out. They needed to confirm any possibility that Roy was either dead, escaped, or had been moved to another location. Hawkeye nodded to Havoc and Breda, signaling them that she planned to check it out. 

With Ed on the move still, they at least knew a body hadn't turned up yet. There was still time and hope they hadn't gotten here too late. Riza would remain calm and finish the job, but on the inside, her heart wouldn't stop pounding, and she felt sick in the pit of her stomach. When (if) they all got out of this alive, she was going to have a long talk with Roy. 

The General needed to be more careful. He had mentioned a potential plot against him, and Ed had been gathering the appropriate information, but Roy had brushed off her suggestions to tell the Fuhrer about it and have a personal detail watch him. His relationship with Ed had taken precedence. While Riza could understand why, getting himself in situations like this didn't help. Even after all these years, Roy Mustang could still manage to be a reckless man, especially where his heart was concerned. 

Riza carefully stalked around the corner of the burnt building and slipped inside. She peered around the corner and spotted two men, who looked slightly dazed from all the smoke. They were whispering amongst themselves and too busy patching up their wounds that they didn't notice her. She raised her gun, carefully aiming at the first man’s knees and fired. The first man went down fast, and Riza quickly took out the other. 

Footsteps could be heard getting closer to her location. It sounded like Havoc so she quickly moved all the way inside the building to secure the men there. They would take them back for interrogation. 

"Did you find him?" Havoc came in just as Riza finished tying the men up. "Is Mustang in here?" 

"No, he's not." The men groaned and squirmed around as they attempted to grab at their wounds. Riza tore of two pieces of her uniform and wrapped the cloth to stem the bleeding. It wouldn't do them any good if the men bled out before they had the chance to take them back to headquarters. "Go get Fuery and tell him I need him to watch over these men and to call for backup." 

"Gotcha. You think they'll cooperate?" Havoc had an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth as he spoke. “If they don’ t chances are we may never know who was behind this.” 

"It doesn't matter. We need to take them back and at least try. I'm sure the General will be able to interrogate them appropriately enough that they'll be willing to give us something to work with." 

“Yeah, you ain’t kidding.” Havoc laughed. “They’d been better off leaving Ed out of this mess.” 

Riza stood up and turned towards Havoc. "I need Fuery here now. We can't afford to waste anymore time with questions or talk.” 

"Got it," Havoc said leaving her to watch over the men while she waited for him to come back with Fuery. 

Riza glanced out a window, trying to get some indication of what ground Ed had covered already. It seemed like the most logical option was to keep moving forward towards the end of the warehouses. Her gut-feeling told her that's where she'd find both Ed and Roy. 

She turned around when she heard footsteps. Fuery and Havoc were back. Riza gave Fuery a nod. “I need you to stay here. The rest of us will keep going. Try to contact Central for back up.” She checked the clip in her gun. “It’s time to tell them that General Mustang was kidnapped.” 

Havoc and Breda followed her, and she paused at the doorway, noticing blood that she had missed the first time through. Riza briefly wondered whose blood it belonged to. Stooping down, she prodded the metal piece sticking out before heading out towards the warehouses behind this row. 

Off to the side of the buildings behind them, they came across another man, this one unconscious. Riza bent down and bound his hands. “Take him back to Fuery and then catch up with us,” she said to Breda. 

“Right,” Breda said as he bound the unconscious man’s hands and then hoisted the limp body up and over his shoulder. 

At least there was an easy enough trail to follow. Riza never thought she'd feel grateful for otherwise sloppy work. It was obvious to her that Ed wasn’t running at full capacity. They were getting close, and if they moved fast enough, they could probably catch up to him. 

She turned to Havoc. “I don't think we have much further to go. Probably to the end of the buildings... maybe to the one behind them all, but we're close. We need to keep moving.” 

“Sure thing, boss.” Havoc readied his gun. 

If they were getting closer that meant they'd probably run into trouble before long. The two of them pushed forward, hoping to find Ed and Roy alive. 

The first spray of bullets caught them off guard. Riza felt one clip her shoulder as she ducked away behind one of the warehouses. She looked around, trying to see if Havoc was there. No such luck. 

They had already detained a couple of them already. She wasn't about to risk their lives for these men. Hawkeye turned around the corner, aimed her gun, and pulled the trigger. A bullet hit the man square between the eyes. Another one dropped as Havoc took him down. 

There were more of them than she had initially anticipated. They were scattered and hidden around the area or they had caught on to the fact that they had visitors. Riza tried to look around the best she could to see where others might be hidden. From where she was hidden, she didn't see any signs of a sniper, but Riza still felt caution was best. 

She signaled to Havoc to move in the opposite direction so they could both move around the building and meet up on the other side. Another shot rang out and this time it grazed her upper arm. Riza raised her weapon only to have the man drop. She turned around and saw Breda lowing his gun. 

They needed a different tactic now. Once her and Breda met up with Havoc on the other side of the row, Riza kept her eyes around their surroundings. None of them could afford to get sloppy now by not paying attention. 

"Alright, new plan," she said to Havoc and Breda. "Three men are enough to interrogate. Unless they're already downed and not a threat, from here on out, we move towards that last silo and shoot to kill." Once Havoc and Breda nodded in agreement, she readied herself for the final push. "Let's move out then." 

~*~ 

Ed noticed the blood first when he finally got inside the last building. There was a scattered trail of it along the floor that wound around the corner. He had an awful feeling the blood belonged to Roy considering there was absolutely no sign of him anywhere else. If Roy had been the aggressor, he would have shown himself by now. The logical thing to do was to follow it and see where it led. 

He could hear muffled voices when he slipped further in. They were coming from deeper inside, and he could only hear broken bits of words followed by laughter. He left the door open to make the least amount of noise as possible and moved quickly and quietly towards the sound. It was as good a place as any to start. If they didn't have Roy with them, they probably knew where he was. 

Ed’s vision blurred a bit and the lighting wasn’t the best. Bright enough so that he didn’t run into any walls but dim enough that the shadows from his peripheral threatened to startle him. 

The closer Ed got, he realized there were two distinct voices and neither of them were Roy's. Dammit. That didn’t bode well for either of them. Ed wasn’t certain they’d get out of here without each other’s help. His injuries were slowing him down, and he had no idea what kind of shape Roy was in. 

The corner wall tempted him to rest so he stopped and leaned against it. Ed closed his eyes and inhaled a few deep breaths. He needed a quick breather. The constant movement he put his body through was wearing him down. His injuries were steadily catching up to him, and Ed felt like he was at his end. His head hurt like hell, and his vision was becoming spotty. It wouldn't be long before he ran out of steam. 

Ed opened his eyes and looked down at his shaking hands. He couldn't stop now and give up. All he had to do was focus on the next step forward and worry about one thing at a time. Roy was somewhere in here. If he could figure out where, that would solve half of his problems. Hawkeye and the rest of the team would be here soon enough to help out. 

Their efficiency was second to none. He had no doubt, Hawkeye would detain anyone still alive for later questioning so that solved another problem for him. Ed wanted to get to Roy first, though. They could clean up whatever mess was left behind him. He knew that was a selfish thought, but Roy was more important to him right now than anything else. 

Once Ed finally managed to move several feet away from the wall, he did his best to try and find a way to give himself cover. There wasn't much to hide behind in here. Luckily, it seemed like no one had expected for anyone else to be here. If they had, then there would have been someone stationed at the door. The lack of people made him think back to when he and Roy had fought Father. Again, he found himself in a situation where they had been underestimated. He wouldn’t hesitate to use to his advantage. 

If he didn't handle this right, Ed knew he wouldn't get a second chance. He had the advantage of coming here and staying in the shadows, but that could easily change. His clumsy movements risked outing him any second. 

He crept along the wall, keeping his back to it and taking every corner slowly. Not knowing what he'd find on the other side didn't help calm his nerves. His legs has already started to feel worn down and weak, and the nausea had come back. The medicine was wearing off faster than he anticipated, and Ed had no idea what he was going to do once it did. 

His stomach lurched, doubling him over. On second thought, maybe he should stall and give Hawkeye enough time to help them. Roy's team would figure out what was going on and catch up to him eventually. Still, he needed to keep going in case Roy was still alive. Ed was alone, and there was no one else he could count on. 

Time was running out and each second counted. Time had a nasty way of slipping through his fingers when he needed it to slow down the most. Ed could recount many days and hours in the past that seemed to stretch out for eternity. Then it had felt like he could do anything in those hours. Now nothing felt slow or calm. He could hear Roy's time ticking away loudly in his head. 

Fortunately, the inside of the building was narrow enough that Ed easily found the only way forward, and that was upwards. If no one else was on the first floor, then maybe they were on the second floor. It was plausible the echo from the stairway had traveled down and reached him. It explained why the voices sounded hollowed out and muffled. 

Ed hit the stairs, using both hands to steady himself enough so that he could go up faster. Any light coming through the small top windows was fading fast. Darkness and shadows would provide him with more cover but it would also cripple his ability to see more than a few inches in front of him. 

By the time he made it up to the second floor, the sun had set. He moved fast up another short set of stairs. A dull ache that had started behind his eyes spread out causing his entire head to throb. Ed slunk up against the wall at the top of the landing and peeked around the corner. 

At the end of the small hall looked to be a room, and there were a couple men standing near it. If they were all the way up here, they must've been talking loudly, which meant they were probably alone or there was no one else around who actually worked in the warehouses. 

He ducked back into the stairwell and looked around to see what he could use to defend himself if needed. Ed couldn't find anything handy, but there was a piece of plywood partially torn from the wall. He used his foot to brace himself and pulled until the wood came free. 

Two men stood at the end of the hall. Ed tried to stay out of their line of sight for as long as possible, but it didn't take them long to spot him. 

"Hey, you're not supposed to be in here," The taller of the two yelled, running towards Ed. 

Ed braced himself from the inevitable. He took the piece of wood he had found and waited until the man was close enough to bring it down across his torso. Gunshots fired, and Ed turned his body to use the tall man as a shield. 

He pushed forward, refusing to think about how the man in front of him probably wouldn't survive the pelting of gunfire. When Ed got close enough to the smaller man, he shoved the load in his arms off him and wasted no time beating the blond with the wood until he stopped moving. 

Ignoring the blood all over his clothes, Ed pushed the smaller man away from the door. There was a sign on it that read, ‘Keep out when steam is blowing.’ Ed knocked it off the door with his arm. The sign clattered loudly on the floor. The echo from the hall resounded in his ears. No wonder he had been able to hear those men all the way from the first floor. Ed stepped over one of the crumpled bodies and then used his foot to move one the guys’ arm out of the way. 

This had to where they put Roy. If the bastard wasn’t behind this door, Ed knew they’d both be fucked. His fingers gently touched his forehead. If Roy was dead, Ed would never be able to forgive himself, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. He had to get the door opened and see what lie behind it. 

The door was locked. Ed jiggled the handle twice with enough force that he scraped his finger on the nail. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Ed cursed as he watched the blood pool into a small bubble before swiping it away with his left hand. 

Had he really expected any different? They not only wanted to keep Roy from getting out, but slow down anyone who was trying to get in. 

Ed repeatedly smashed himself against the door. As soon as the kickback had him on his ass, his legs pushed his body back up for another round. He never should’ve let Al talk him into taking his leg back; automail would’ve busted right through this, and if it meant saving Roy, Ed would gladly give back his leg in exchange and all the pain and illness that went along with it. 

There were no take backs, though. Ed stood back up and wiped the sweat and dirt out of his eyes and off his face. He'd be damned if he let himself sit here and wallow. The door would only hold for so long. Eventually, it had to give in. He backed up and slammed his body back into it. This time, he heard a small crack. 

Wood splintered in the middle of the door. Ed kept pulling his foot back and smashing where the wood had gave way. Once the door had finally caved in, his body fell forward along with it in a huge crash. Ed coughed as dust billowed up around him. 

When he looked up, the room was dimmed, but he spotted Roy. Ed swallowed, trying to clear the dryness. Roy didn't look like he was in too good a shape. And there was blood. He wasn't sure where it was coming from, but Ed didn't like the looks of it. 

“Roy!” Ed’s breath caught in his throat. Roy was chained to a turbine and bleeding from his knee and shoulder. Ed took a few shaky steps forward. His legs wanted to give out from underneath. He couldn’t afford to lose his strength. Not when Roy needed him. 

Fighting with the guards and breaking down the door had taken the fight out of him. Maybe he should’ve waited for Roy’s team. They couldn’t be too far behind. 

Ed took a few shaky steps into the room. Nausea swept over him, but he pushed his body to keep moving. If he stopped now, Ed wasn't sure if he could keep going. 

Roy's body moved so at least he was somewhat conscious. Ed muttered out what he thought were words of encouragement, though he wasn't entirely sure anything actually came through. A loud buzzing sound had started in his head, and even though he saw Roy's mouth move, the words and their meaning were lost on him. 

If Roy was trying to tell him something, there was no way Ed could focus enough to put it together. He tried to call out to Roy and explain the situation but no words came. Ed swayed back and forth and stumbled. If only he had something to hold onto to, he'd be fine. But other than the machine Roy was chained to, the room was disappointingly empty. 

He stumbled one step at a time until he reached the turbine. Ed fell to his knees in front of Roy. The knife he had stashed in his shoe... he needed to get it and free Roy. His hand slipped past his boot twice before he managed to dig in and retrieve the knife. 

"Don't worry, it'll be over soon," he mumbled to Roy. Ed dropped the knife and then picked it back up. 

He leaned against Roy's chest. It felt so warm and nice being this close to Roy. Ed wanted to lay his head down and sleep whatever funk he was in off. But he knew he couldn't. He still had important things to do. 

His hands slipped behind Roy and carefully, Ed used to the knife on the rope. He not only had to work through the knots binding Roy's hands together but also the knots holding him to the turbine. 

“Ed, look out.” Roy’s voice was low and horse. Why was Ed moving so sluggish and slow? Couldn’t he hear the man behind him? “Move, dammit.” 

"No, not till I get you outta there." His head was spinning. Only clear bits and pieces of the situation came through his mind. Ed attempted to push them around and organize them in a way where he could properly respond to Roy. 

A voice in the back of his head came through clear between all the noise. _'Turn around.'_ He stumbled a little and tried to right himself. Ed felt dizzy like he could pass out at any moment. _'Turn around, now, Edward.'_ That time the voice sounded like Roy's. 

He went to turn around but before Ed had the chance, he felt something hard come down across the back of his head. The last things Ed heard were fingers snapping, gunfire, followed by shouting and the sound of footsteps approaching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was really hard getting back to this story, but after doing a couple thorough edits on the last two chapters and a ton on this chapter, I think writing the final chapter will be a lot easier. 
> 
> hopefully, I did a decent job with this chapter ^^


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